Third party ripoff
by pl12
Summary: Atul works covert operations for the CID. When he is sent to investigate a drug cartel's involvement, in the financing of international terrorism, he finds himself in the lion's den. The only person who seems to be on his side is the scary but very intriguing arms dealer, Nishant. But things are not what they seem. Prequel to " The truth behind his lies".
1. Chapter 1

_A/N : Hi, friends. I think, you are surprised since i told you that i am currently working on the sequel to " The truth behind his lies." But i think, you people also deserve a prequel, to know all the players involved in the above series. So, hence this prequel is born._

_ Enjoy._

* * *

When Atul signed up with the CID, he believed that he was going to be one of the good guys. He knew that being a CID officer was not going to be glamorous, and he was aware of it. Still, he had not expected to feel as bad about himself as he did now. He still believed in the cause. But he was not proud of his actions.

Atul had spent the last eleven months working his way up through the hierarchy of an international drug cartel. He had climbed up the steep ladder relatively fast, earning trust and gathering information in a painstaking process that was filled with actions Atul never wanted to do.

Normally, drugs were not on the CID's list of targets. But there was evidence that bound the group, Atul had slowly wormed his way into to a big flow of cash that had ended up funding terrorist acts posing a definite threat to any civilized country.

By now Atul always felt the need to roll his eyes at expressions like "civilized countries". He had learned the hard way, that there was no black and white, and he knew that his life was dancing on the tight-rope of criminal activity most of the time. He had overstepped the bounds a few times, and his stomach churned uneasily at the thought.

Finally, Atul had edged closer to his actual target and left the petty drug-dealing and smuggling behind. For several weeks, Atul had been the personal assistant of a man called Richard Speight.

Richie was the kind of man Atul hated. He was ruthless and egocentric and he used to treat people like they meant nothing to him, and he pushed Atul around like a slave. But Richie was also one of the smoothest salesmen, Atul had ever seen. The man was a snake, and he could sell postcards to blind people. He was the kind of guy, they sent to negotiations. He was the person, who made sure that wherever money would flow, there would be a lot of profit for little expenditure.

Richard Speight was the man Atul needed. He was connected and he was involved and Atul was glued to his heels.

* * *

This was how Atul walked into the room, one step behind Richie, towering over him. Atul did not have to try to look over the other man's shoulder, since he was easily a head taller than him. Even though it might have appeared that way, Atul was no bodyguard. He was not even supposed to know how to do martial arts. But, of course, it was good for Richie's ego that he could enter a room with his personal giant, tailing him like an overgrown puppy.

Today, Atul was sure, would be a special day. There was a new tension in the air and it practically sizzled around them on their way to the meeting. Maybe he had even get closer to his initial goal and finally step out of the world of peddling cheap drugs towards the flow of money that lay behind his long search.

As he ducked through a low door, his eyes scanned the room around them. One woman and three men were already there.

Richie greeted a brunette woman clad in an expensive suit, who had an air of self-confidence and nonchalance that was beyond price. She emitted the cold authority of an ice queen as Richie flamboyantly kissed her hand and brought out the big guns. He flirted shamelessly, and Atul was sure that his winks were probably an insult to such a woman.

Atul recognised her face from pictures he had been shown before but he could not place her correctly. One thing was sure though.

_She was more than just another drug dealer._

Atul's fingers started to itch, and he really regretted not bringing anything but the small gun in his jacket, and the knife that was tucked in his boot, but his cover was dealer turned gangster, and not Rambo turned spy. He did not know where his instinct came from but this woman was bad news.

As her first name slipped over Richie's lips, Atul had to school his features not to give himself away.

Lauren.

Yes, he definitely recognized that name, and the puzzle fell into place.

Lauren Cohan was anything but a nobody. She was not a big player with any of the organisations Atul was gunning for, but she was definitely a sign that he was on the right track.

_Cohan was a middleman. _

If you needed to get in contact with anyone on the CID watch list, Cohan could plug you in or at least set up a meeting with someone who could. The woman was dangerous , and Atul would just love to turn her in, but she had been caught before, and nothing had come from it. She was too careful for that as were her contacts. How she had ever got out again was still an unexplained miracle.

The look of undisguised disgust on her face at Richie's obviousness made Atul look away, trying not to start laughing, or just staring like someone who knew too much.

As Atul's eyes skimmed away from the two people in the middle of the room, they fell onto a man standing in a corner. The two other guys that stood close to Ms. Cohen wore suits and could easily be identified as Lauren's bodyguards. But this man was different. He did not wear any high business fashion, the way the rest of them did, but a pair of really well fitting jeans, and a leather jacket. The attire looked anything but ragged or cheap but still comfortable.

The thing that set Atul off was the man's eyes. They were trained on him. Everybody else in the room had assessed him during their entry and had by now shifted their attention to Richie, filing him as the less important of the two unless he made any suspicious movements. But this man did not even spare Richie a second look, and Atul found himself staring back in a game of chicken.

Atul felt a slow sweat breaking out on the back of his neck. Had he seen someone look at him like this anywhere but here, he felt like a fish out of water and those looks were simply predatory, and that too, in a room filled to the brim with criminals of the worst kind, he felt his stomach churning.

Predatory, indeed. Atul gulped.

He lost their staring match when Richard slapped him on the arm, harder than absolutely necessary. " Yeh mera associate hai, Barun."

Atul forced a smile and tilted his head to greet the woman in front of him. She gave him a quick once over with cold eyes, without greeting him back.

" Theek hai, Mr. Speight, toh kaam ki baat kare." Cohen looked nearly bored, and Atul had an uneasy feeling.

Richie grazed the woman with another shark-like grin.

Atul saw movement on the periphery of his vision and his eyes snapped back to the yet-nameless man in the casual attire as he stepped out of his bubble of invisibility. Finally Richard's attention was pulled to the stranger as well, and Atul noticed his stance growing more rigid. " Kaun hai yeh? Yeh hum logo ki aapsi mamla hai, Lauren."

The woman only shrugged. " Yeh Mr. Nishant hai, jo ki aapke transporter hai."

Atul wished he had not only brought a bigger gun but the whole CID team as he watched the drama unfold before his eyes.

Richard did not deal well with being ignored, and he lived with what Atul thought, was a Napoleon complex. He was a small guy, who only felt satisfied when other men, especially tall men, did as he said. He valued authority, as long as it belonged to him. Being left out of the loop made Richard angry, and the man had the mentality of a Terrier: bark a lot and bite from behind.

" Yeh humare agreement ke hisaab nahi hai. Hum log transport ka mamla khud sambhal sakte hai!"

Lauren raised an eyebrow at Nishant, who just cocked his head to one side, like an interested puppy, his face unreadable.

"Richard…" She drawled out his name with a lascivious edge that Atul had heard more often that he cared about. She was pulling the sexy-woman card. At these moments, Atul was glad that he was engaged. " Woh log dope ke liye itne paisa nahi de sakte. Mujhe pata hai yaha India mein kaam kaise hota hai. Par tumhare baaki partners ko hoshiyar rehna chahiye. And they need to go via less direct channels, since they have a bigger picture to care about. Mr Nishant, here is very good in bringing big loads of illegal material through very small holes."

"I don't care." Richards's teeth were clenched, and Atul knew that the man was on the verge of exploding and shooting everyone in the room. "This was not part of our AGREEMENT."

Lauren chuckled. For the love of God, she actually chuckled. "Now now, Richard. Your people agreed that we do whatever I see fit to make this work when they brought me in to handle things. There's a lot of money changing hands here and we decided that this was our best option."

"You should have checked with me FIRST." As Lauren did not seem to buckle, and her silent companion did not even attempt to speak, Richard's nose went up considerably.

"Forget it. I won't deal with people who can not respect agreements. We are out of here."

"This is not your decision to make, Richard."

Atul was startled by the deep voice that came from Lauren's side. After all the strong and silent attitude, Atul had not expected Mr. Nishant to speak anytime soon. His voice was as intriguing as his appearance. The calm nonchalance, and slight mockery lacing the words made Atul squirm a little, taking a small step backwards. He had a bad feeling.

"Shut up! I AM the one making the decisions here."

"Your bosses sent you here to be a negotiator. You are failing at that. Consider yourself fired."

All the alarms in Atul's head went off, but he was not fast enough. Maybe the shocking turn of events slowed Atul's brain down for the fraction of a second, but that was not normally the way his mind worked. However, he saw the trafficker produce a semi-automatic gun from the folds of his jacket with the practised ease that came with years of training, and a mindset that did not hesitate even for a moment when it came to killing.

Atul stepped to the side and reached for his own sidearm, opening his mouth to shout a warning to Richie, whose eyes grew wide. But before Atul's warning hit home, there was the ear-drum vibrating bang of gunfire, and Richie's body jerked backwards as the bullet pierced his forehead and annihilated the back of his skull. A red cloud sprayed behind him as his body flopped to the floor.

Atul knew his warning shout had turned into a terrified yell, but he did not hesitate to bring his own gun to level. Obviously, the so called Nishant, who had just killed Atul's boss had expected him to react and did not even wait for Richie's body to hit the ground but turned to Atul as the bloody mist was still drifting through the air. Atul had no time to pull the trigger and his gun was not yet high enough to aim, when a booted foot connected with his wrist. He could not help letting go of the gun and the contact sent a spike of pain down his arm and into his fingers, and the gun cluttered to the floor while Atul clutched his wrist to his chest. He once more cursed the fact that he had not brought any other weapons since his knife was no good when faced with a gun.

Even if he had had an arsenal up his sleeve though, it probably would not have helped him. This Nishant guy was good. Extremely good. Atul had gone through long and hard training, before he was allowed to work covert operations, but this man was not just fast and strong. He was deadly efficient, and most of all, ruthless enough not to hesitate.

Atul's eyes met those of his attacker, and he wondered why he did not have a bullet between his eyes yet.

Maybe a second had passed since his gun was sent flying. It might not seem like a long time, but judging by Nishant's speed with the first shot, he could have snuffed Atul twice already without straining himself.

Funny enough, Nishant just stood there gun raised, and chin held high. "Barun, right?"

Atul could not help frowning. Not that he was not happy not to be another body slowly rotting on the floor, but this was strange. Hell, everything today had been strange. He only nodded in silent acknowledgement to his name – well cover name actually.

"Good. Do not do anything stupid, Barun. I would hate to kill you too."

"Why?"

He knew that asking such a question was pushing his luck, since he should just take the lucky turn on faith for now, but he could not help himself.

"Because you have just been promoted."

A mischievous smile spread over Nishant's lips, and Atul would have found that unbelievable, were he not still fearing for his life. The mean sting in his wrist was a vivid reminder of that.

"Hands behind your head and face to the wall, Barun. I am gonna pat you down. Do not try anything stupid or I will break your other arm as well."

Nishant's stern voice left no space for argument, and Atul raised his arms, hands resting on his hair. He winced a little at the painful pull in his injured hand but swallowed it down and turned to face the wall.

He heard steps behind himself and fidgeted a little. By now he had to give it to the other man, that he probably really did not plan to kill Atul, yet.

That was the only reason Atul did as asked without trying to overcome Nishant, as the man's hands touched his shoulders, pushing him against the wall. Granted, Atul would probably have lost any physical struggle if that kick had been any indicator, because with the pain that still filtered through his dominant hand, the other man had a certain head-start. Hopefully, it was just a bad sprain and not a fracture, because he really did not have six weeks to let the bones mend again.

Atul could not help but shiver a little as strong hands pushed against him, gliding over his arms and shoulders, across his sides and down his spine before moving around him to pat down his chest.

Atul took a deep breath as Nishant traced down the outside of his thighs and calves until he reached Atul's boots. Skilled hands pulled the legs of Atul's pants up one at a time, fingers tracing the rim of the boots before dipping in around the ankles, making sure not to miss a hidden holster. Nishant did not even comment as he took Atul's back-up knife and repeated that motion on the other leg as well, before his hands moved up the inside of Atul's legs.

"You are clean, boy. Who would have thought?"

Nishant's eyes twinkled, and Atul felt his Adam's apple move up and down as he swallowed hard, locking gazes with the murderous man. He was so screwed.

A female laugh brought him back to reality, and he saw Lauren standing next to Richie's lifeless body, looking down at him with pursed lips. "I should scold you for killing people all the time, Nishant, but you did me quite a favour with snuffing Rich. He was just disgusting."

"Glad to be of service." Nishant made a mock bow to the woman before scooping down to pick up Atul's gun, checking the safety and magazine with skilled fingers before tucking it away in the back of his jeans.

Atul reminded himself of the seriousness of his situation as he replayed Lauren's words. It should unsettle him that Nishant was said to kill people all the time, but he could not help finding the man more intriguing than disturbing. It was against anything he had ever learned in training. Anything but rule number one: Never ignore your gut feeling. Atul's gut feeling was to trust Nishant, as crazy as that sounded. The man had not yet done anything to hurt Atul. Granted, he had probably broken Atul's wrist. But considering that Atul wanted to shoot him, he could really be thankful Nishant did not snap his neck like a twig. The agent was pretty sure he could have done so.

Atul swallowed around the lump in his throat again. He did not know what to do now. Richard was supposed to take the lead, and Atul was there to carry his bags and loom behind him. But now things had changed, and Atul was not even sure why they had come here in the first place. He knew the rough details Richard had given him, but the real deal was still a mystery to him.

Nishant had said he was 'promoted'. Did that mean they expected him to take over negotiations in Richard's stead?

He had negotiated before, mainly hostage situations and paramilitary conflicts, but then he had time to prepare, and a line of people in his back whispering in his ear. Now he was alone, and only half prepared. This could be his chance to make a leap further in his assignment in dimensions, one usually needed years for. But it could also break his neck like a well aimed baseball bat. If the syndicate he was working for – the one he had infiltrated for over a year already – thought he had anything to do with Richard's death, he was a dead man.

He needed to protect his back. Somehow. Strangely, the one person Atul could hope on to save his back right now, the one person who had apparently meant well with him up to this point, was the guy who had brought the whole mess down on his head in the first place. If Atul got Nishant on his side, then maybe – just maybe – he had somewhere to run when his bosses wanted to chop off his head without letting down the whole operation.

God, DCP sir is going to kill him, if he came to know of this.

It was risky. But it was worth a shot.

Atul watched as Lauren's guards dragged Richie's body from the room, a trail of blood smeared on the floor. He made a note to himself not to step in it and even less slip in it to find himself face down in a puddle of quickly cooling, and slowly clotting blood.

Lauren was on the phone, talking silently but urgently with someone, and Atul fidgeted nervously. His eyes skimmed from Lauren, striding about the far end of the room, to Nishant, leaning next to him on the wall.

"I think she's talking to your bosses."

Atul stiffened and trailed wide eyes on Nishant. "What is she saying ?"

Nishant shrugged and Atul could see a shoulder holster holding a semi-automatic. He was sure that Nishant had pulled his gun from the other side before. That meant he came packing heavy artillery.

Atul could not help letting a small nervous laugh leave his lungs and he scratched the back of his neck nervously with his other hand. "Thanks for not shooting me, Mr. Nishant."

Nishant wrinkled his nose a little. "Just Nishant."

"But, is not Nishant your last name?"

Atul was pushing it, he knew that. But his training made him fish for any information he could possibly get on the new player in this game.

"Nishant is one of the common last names in India. Does not mean, you have to call me Mister anytime soon. There are hundreds of Mr. Nishant's around and I do not care to be one of them, so I am just Nishant."

"Why not just use your first name then?"

"Maybe my first name is not good as yours." Nishant gave him a small smile and Atul considered that for a moment and then shrugged. He had a point.

"So, what does Barun stand for?"

Atul was a little unsure when they had entered the realm of pleasant small-talk, but he was glad enough to go along.

"Barun is Barun. Nothing more, nothing less."

Well, not glad enough to actually tell him his REAL name of course.

Nishnat cocked an eyebrow and shook his head a little. "Does not suit you."

Atul graced him with a small smile of his own. He knew it did not, but using his real name was out of question, and Barun is not at all that suspicious.

Nishant also smiled and Atul watched him, and he had to wonder, at the things going on in Nishant's mind, at that moment.


	2. Chapter 2

They stood there in a strangely companionable silence while Atul tried to muster his courage to dig a little deeper while strategizing how to do so without setting Nishant's alarms off.

"Okay, so, since I seem to be stuck somewhere in the middle of this…" He swallowed as Nishant looked at him, interest for where Atul was headed shining in those eyes. "How do you fit in here? You are some kind of smuggler?"

Nishant cocked his head and pursed his lips. "Some kind of, yes. Most people call me an arms dealer. But if the pay is right, I traffic everything and anything wherever you like."

Atul nodded, filing the information. "Like drugs."

"Like drugs, money, animals, people, helicopters and anything you can think of."

Atul's eyebrows rose, slightly impressed. "Looks like you know your way around."

"Oh, I know my way around a lot more things than you think, Barun."

Atul stood perplexed.

Damn.

If he lived to see the next day, if he lived to be part of this whole ordeal, he knew at this moment, that there was a lot in store for him. He just was not sure whether this was a good or a bad thing.

"Barun?"

Atul looked across the room where Lauren Cohan – hell, how could he have forgotten the fact that he was still in the same room as Lauren Cohan? – was holding the cell phone out for him. "They want to talk to you."

Atul walked over, accepting her phone. "Yes?"

There was a lot of talk. The essence being that Atul was indeed expected to take over Richard's job here.

Since Nishant was a new variable in the game, Atul's first job was to accompany the first shipment himself, keeping an eye on Nishant's operation and making sure they were not played for fools.

Atul was not sure how that should exactly work, since he was alone and had no way of enforcing anything upon Nishant. But, then, he was probably just expected to report regularly. If he did not report anymore, they would probably send the wet work guys and file this project as an attempt ending with an error. It was anything but encouraging to Atul, and he would probably have considered calling his senior to get him the hell out of this mess, were he to accompany anybody but Nishant.

Atul was good at reading people, and his instincts told him that Nishant had a liking for him, although he was still debating exactly how deep that linking really went. When the call disconnected, Atul found himself alone with Nishant. Lauren had left already, and Atul frowned at the cell phone still clutched in his hand.

"She said you can keep it. She got dozens of clean phones. You can use it to keep in touch with your bosses, so they do not hunt you down."

It would take Atul some time to get used to Nishant's nonchalant way of talking about people's lives. Obviously, he would have that time now.

"The first shipment comes in at 10.30 tonight."

Atul had been given strict directions.

Nishant smiled at him. "Good."

* * *

The docks smelled like the salt and the fish of the day, a soft breeze blowing into port from the bay. Only a few seagulls were to be heard, since the sun had started to set half an hour ago. The falling summer night was warm and could not explain the chill creeping through Atul's limbs as he walked next to Nishant along the pier, towards an inconspicuous fishing freighter. He was nervous and did not really try to hide it.

For Atul Saxena, this was an unexpected turn that could lead him a lot further into the operations of drugs, guns and money than he could ever have hoped for.

But for former dealer Barun, it was a thing of life and death as well as a lot of money. Atul was nervous, and Barun should be nervous.

The crates sitting on the dock seemed harmless enough, and nothing gave any indication that there was any fishy business going down here tonight, pun intended.

Of course, Atul knew better than that. It was a weird comfort to be with Nishant. The man oozed an air of confidence that made nobody question him being there. The expensive looking leather jacket had been shed for a soft and washed out flannel shirt, that covered up the arsenal the man was carrying, and made him look like he belonged here.

They walked in silence until they reached the ship Atul had been given instructions for and Nishant jumped onto the steps leading on board.

"So how is this going down?" Atul asked, more to satisfy the nervous need to break the silence than anything else. He knew the general plan, and it was not unusual to keep him in the dark about all the details that did not include his personal involvement. Criminals did not stay out of prison without a certain amount of paranoia.

"We get the drugs. I make sure they get into the right hands, and that the right people get what they bargained for. Your job is to make sure that I do not mess anyone over or rather that I will mess over anyone _but_ your bosses," Nishant stated matter of factly. He did not seem to be bothered by the level of distrust towards his end of the deal and did not even try to persuade Atul to believe him to be at all trustworthy to begin with. It was a sign of self-confidence which led Atul to believe that Nishant was either very good at what he did or very bold - probably a bit of both.

"You make it sound pretty simple." He followed Nishant over the eerily quiet deck.

"Things get complicated all by themselves. No need for me to add to it." The man's smile was loose and oddly relaxed, but Atul could see the tiniest tension in his shoulders as his eyes skimmed their dark surroundings casually.

They were playing a dangerous game.

* * *

" Toh yeh Nishant, woh tumhare saath hai ?"

Atul shifted his second cell phone – because when one is a CID officer, but has to act as a spy, it is a very bad idea to give the bad guys the number you are calling home with – on his ear and checked for anybody who might be eavesdropping. "Haan. Usne already mera kaam aur aasan kar diya. Shayaad mujhe aur upar unlogo ke paas nahi jaana parega. Par woh ek bohot dangerous game khel raha hai aur mujhe lagta hai ki agar koi problem beech mein aa jaye toh woh mujhe mar dega ya phir main beech mein aatak jayunga."

" Toh dhyaan rahe ki waisa na hone paye."

Atul rolled his eyes. Sometimes he wondered why he bother to take up these mission, if all he got was fortune cookie advice, and them stating the obvious.

" Ok, sir. Main khayaal rakhunga."

" Jo karna hai karo. Tumhe toh pata hi hai hume kya chahiye. Kaise laate ho woh tumhara kaam hai."

He sighed, rubbing his eyes. "Ok, sir. Main aap logo inform kar dunga." He hung up, closing the safe line that had taken him half the morning to set up. Sometimes he wondered at how ungrateful his higher-ups could be. The fact that he had gotten into a deal needing an intermediate like Lauren Cohan should be a big deal. It probably was. They just did not admit it.

He switched off the phone and pocketed it, before making his way to where Nishant had told him to meet. Atul did not know, why the other man was so willing to let Atul tag along for most of the operation, and it made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end. But this whole opportunity was like a gift horse, and he had worked too hard on getting here to back out without reason.

* * *

Nishant looked like the cat that just ate the canary, content and extremely self satisfied. It was a scary look on a guy who was leaning against a four foot stack of wooden crates filled with automatic rifles. Atul did not even have to fake his unease and surprise. He looked around uneasily, checking that nobody else happened to walk by and stumble over the two suspicious looking men with the heavy artillery.

"Wow, you really were not kidding when you said you were an arms dealer."

Nishant shrugged, lifting one of the heavy guns from its position in the open topped crate and going through the motions of checking the mechanics. The loud clicking sound of the slide was as noisy as Atul remembered. "Everybody has their favourite currency. For some it's US dollars or Indian rupee. For me, it's firepower. A good gun always gets a good price."

"I thought we were selling drugs for money?"

Nishant shrugged and clicked the safety back on before putting the rifle back to its original place. "We are. But things are not that easy, as it looks like. There are more parties in this than just two. See, Barun, your 'company'…" He actually accentuated the word with his fingers and a fake smile. "… sells drugs for money. You do not need me for that. But to do so, you need the drugs first, and not the cheap stuff that you are throwing on the streets, but the pure thing that you can punch, until it is nothing but baking powder, so you can make a healthy profit. Now, most of the really good drugs are products of the labour of people who appreciate guns as a currency very much, people who sell their merchandise to finance their own little war. If they have to exchange the drugs for money to exchange the cash for fire power, that just involves more people in their operation than necessary. People are lazy and distrustful. If you can bring in all your purchases in only one transaction, you will do it."

"Which means that we pay money for drugs, but you pay our suppliers with weapons instead."

He shrugged innocently, letting it all filter through. It was an easy enough process. His investigation had started out at the drug end of the operation, because that was easy to infiltrate. But the interesting part was the suppliers who sold the pure drugs to pay for guns for their war. He had taken a step closer to his goal. But now he was stuck in the middle, and there were few places as uncomfortable as between two crazy professional wrestlers. Thinking that either of the two parties would not screw the other one over in a heartbeat, if it would be either profitable, or if they felt betrayed, would be beyond naïve. He wondered how Nishant could seem so comfortable being the middle man in this.

"Stop frowning and grab a crate, Barun. We have a bargain to uphold." Nishant shut the top crate and walked to an unmarked truck waiting patiently a few yards away and slid open the cargo area.

"Should not you have people to do the heavy lifting for you?" Atul grabbed the first crate and started loading it into the truck.

"I do." The evil smirk Atul got made him groan as he grabbed the next crate, thankful that Nishant's kick from their first meeting had actually not broken his wrist. It had been a close call though and lugging around heavy boxes was not helping with the painful swelling he still had.

Damn that man.

* * *

Driving an illegal weapons transport across half the country – any country - was not something Atul saw himself doing, until he was seated on the passenger seat while Nishant turned the extra long vehicle onto the street leading away from the port in a close backward arch. Too bad, a close arch for this vehicle could still swallow a basketball court. Atul watched him handle the stick shift of the massive truck with well practiced ease, and he wondered how long Nishant had been doing this kind of thing. Considering Nishant's role in this game of money, drugs and arms, he must have had quite a bit of experience. Without a good reputation – what counted as a good reputation in those circles was probably more like a three inch file with CID than a recommendation by the chaplain – someone like Lauren Cohan would not bring him in. He wondered what Nishant's story was.

"So, what's your story, Barun?"

Atul's head snapped towards the man, who was sitting behind the wheel not even looking at him as he guided the heavy vehicle along the street. Obviously, Nishant had no problem asking the questions Atul only asked in his own head.

"My story?"

"Yes. How did you get to meddle with business like this?" Atul did not answer. Nishant did not really want an answer to that, did he? Their line of work was not the talkative kind. "Oh come on, you cannot really expect me to let you in on my business without getting to know you." This time Nishant threw him a glance that was challenging, and Atul took a deep breath. This was going to be a long drive.

He shrugged, wondering how much of his cover story he was supposed to give away. "I needed money. I worked my way up from running errands. I guess I am good at keeping my mouth shut." That did not really say anything, and he knew that. If Nishant wanted more, he would have to ask more. "Oh, and my favorite color is blue, and I like rainbows and kittens."

If Nishant had not started laughing at the last comment, Atul might have felt uneasy when the other man said: "You are a wise man, you know that?"

"So I have been told."

Silence stretched for a minute or two, before Nishant looked at him with a hard and unwavering gaze. The hair at the back of Atul's neck stood on end when his eyes met his. "Tell me just one thing, Barun. Are you a user? Do I need to keep an eye on my merchandise when you are around?"

So that was what Nishant wanted to know. Atul had wondered at the missing distrust, and it was almost a relief to find that he had been right to expect more of it. The good thing was that this was something Atul could score in. He shrugged off his jacket and stretched his bare arms out to Nishant, exposing the big veins of his arms to inspection. There were no scars of recent or extensive injections.

"I sell the things, I do not use it. It's bad for business."

Nishant's eyes skimmed over the naked skin of Atul's offered arms, and he nodded. "Fair enough. But there are enough other places, you can place a fix."

Laughing it off was the best strategy Atul could come up with. "What? You want me to take off my pants, too, or something?"

It was meant to lighten the mood. But instead Nishant's eyebrows rose up, as did one side of his mouth, in what could only be described as a barely hidden grin.

* * *

It was several hours of meaningless conversation, not to mention meaningful silence, later when Nishant pulled the truck onto a much too small dirt road in the middle of nowhere. Atul just hoped that it had not rained the night before, or they would sink in like the Romans in the swamp of Teuteburg. He did not voice his concerns though. They surely had not taken that turn, because Nishant had got lost. This was part of their job.

The vehicle was swaying and jangling up and down dangerously as it ploughed along the dirt road. Atul had not known Nishant longer than a day, but the rising tension in the man's shoulders as well as the alertness of his eyes skimming the woods around them were obvious to him.

"Should I be worried?"

Nishant's eyes skipped to him for no longer than a second. "No." He reached under his seat and retrieved a semi automatic gun, holding it out to Atul. "But you can keep your eyes open."

Okay, so that was not a way of not making Atul nervous, but he did not voice it. Instead, he grabbed the gun, checking the magazine and loading the first bullet into the chamber with an audible click. The comforting weight of the gun made his breathing slow. Aiming while panting was a great way of pulling a shot.

Nishant's eyes narrowed for a moment as he watched him out of the corner of his gaze. Then, a small smile pulled on the side of Nishant's lips, and Atul could practically feel the man's approval wash over him. Nishant had measured him, and he had been found worthy. This was one step forward. All Atul could hope for now was to not get shot before that step might pay off.

With snail like pace, the truck crawled along the ragged path, until Nishant pulled the wheel sideways to lead the vehicle into a clearing that was unexpectedly spacious. There were three jeeps, much more useful for off-road navigation than their massive transporter, parked in a semi-circle facing them and Atul's grip of the gun tightened with the finger on the trigger. Five men were visible carrying automatic guns, and wearing a variety of boots, and cargo pants, rugged scarves and sunglasses. The really high class villains could not be made out by their appearance, they looked unsuspicious, maybe just a little boring. Still, sometimes Atul wanted to laugh at just how clichéd some goons could look. Obviously terrorists watched TV too.

Nishant let their truck roll into the middle of the clearing while giving Atul some last minute instructions. "This is how things go down. I am the negotiator, you are the muscle." Atul was pretty sure that Nishant was his own muscle, especially since the man had just put away two handguns in the holster under his jacket with practiced nonchalance. "We give them the truck, they give us the drugs. We all walk away. If they do not walk away, there are two hand grenades under your seat. Pocket them." As Atul did so without question even though he really hoped he would not have to use them, Nishant switched off the engine and opened his door. "Get out and look intimidating, but not so much that they will shoot you, okay?"

Atul nodded and shoved the grenades – damn – into the pockets of his coat before mirroring Nishant and getting out of the truck, gun in hand. The other party had their muscle obviously armed, so they could do the same. Atul just wished that his gun were bigger. Those goons had a lot more bullets in them than his semi-automatic.

"Good morning, gentlemen." Nishant's smile was as charming as they come, and he looked terribly bored by all the weapons pointing his direction. "I have a truckload of illegal guns here. So, anybody interested?"

Their business partners seemed like the silent type. The door of the middle jeep opened to reveal a small man with black hair and tan skin. He looked less like a Half-Life reject and more like a sleek criminal. He nodded at one of the goons who lowered his rifle, slinging it over his shoulder before stepping up.

"Show me."

It was impossible to make out the accent accurately from only these two words, but if these men worked for the people Atul was aiming for, he already knew the region – if not country – they came from. Nishant shot Atul a look that urged him to keep a close eye on them as he nodded, all the humor of his greeting forgotten, leading the man to the back door of the cargo space. The two men disappeared inside, Nishant undoubtedly showing the merchandise to their buyer. Atul was not worried about not having Nishant's back while they were out of sight. The man could handle one goon with a weapon that was very unhandy in close quarters like the back of a truck. He had to worry about everybody else instead.

When the men re-emerged, Nishant was carrying one of the biggest caliber rifles they had loaded onto the truck – Atul should know, he had loaded them in and had checked every case for its content. The goons seemed wary at Nishant bringing out the big artillery, but in this kind of business, trust was rare, and control was better. As soon as Atul had heard that they would trade in firepower, he had known, there had to be a demonstration. He just hoped that he would not be the test dummy. But, somehow, he did not think Nishant would kill him. This trust was irrational, but it kept his heart rate manageable, and that was enough reason to keep it.

Nishant presented the gun like he was modeling for the NRA equivalent of the spring collection of Prada purses. He made a show of popping in the magazine and loading. "Your boy got to choose any gun from any of the crates." A smirk formed on his face, looking morbid combined with the metallic clicking of the weapon.

When he was satisfied with the effect of his little show, Nishant raised the rifle to his shoulder aiming to the left of the group. Atul followed his gaze and only then saw that there were three white balloons pinned to trees at different distances in the woods. Nishant took his sweet time aiming before pulling the trigger. The bang that ensued was deafening. Big calibers did that. The nearest balloon popped to hang in loose rubber rags from the bark. There was a big hole in the wood and Atul would not be surprised if the bullet had come out on the other side again. The tree was shaking from the impact, leafy branches quivering nervously. The casing of the bullet hit the ground next to Nishant with a light jingle. "This can cover a lot of ground. You can shoot the guy, before he even smells you anywhere near. It has enough power to go through a wall, a car or a protective vest."

Atul watched as Nishant got gracefully to the ground, lying in a classic sniper position. He aimed for long moment, breath going slowly. On the third exhale, he pulled the trigger and the balloon farthest away popped just like the first. Nishant got off the ground, not caring to dust off his clothes, rather lugging the heavy rifle up in both arms. "A trained sniper can take out pretty much everything with this one. It's half automatic with very short loading time. You can drop people like flies with it. He raised the rife again, pulling the trigger three times in rapid succession. Bang, bang, bang. Three trees at the edge of the clearing erupted as their bark splintered away one after the other.

"The only problem with a gun this size is that it takes a giant to shoot and walk at the same time. Everyone short of my friend, Barun, here, will need both feet on the ground to stop from being thrown onto their backs by the backlash." Atul tried to keep a cool face upon that comment. He had taken on the role of the muscle easily. He stood there and looked every inch as tall and bulky as he was. He had at least three inches on every man here, and it seemed to pay off.

The inspection of their merchandise only took ten minutes after Nishant closed his sales pitch, and Atul was relieved when he saw the boss nod at the goons. The drugs were a lot less spectacular than the guns, but the bag they were handed was quite the package when it came to merchandise that ordinary people only saw in the dimensions of grams. Nishant smelled the powder and put a dash of it against the tip of his tongue. It seemed to be satisfactory, and Atul let out a relieved sigh when one of the goons got behind the wheel of their truck and reversed out of the clearing, followed by the black jeeps.

His sigh was hardly audible, but there were other concerns to be dealt with. "How the hell do we get out of here now, with a bag full of illegal narcotics and no car?"

Nishant's smile was half annoying and half intriguing. "We don't need a car." He held up his cell phone and pressed speed dial. Atul could only shake his head with an exasperated chuckle when the chopper landed in the clearing not sixty seconds later. Nishant had style, that much was for sure.


	3. Chapter 3

"So this was it? Mission accomplished?" Atul eyed the package Nishant was carrying suspiciously. It was a lot of drugs, but it did not help him at all in his case.

"Well, this was the taster. If they liked what we gave them, your people like what they gave us, and every party decides that the price is good, we will start the big transactions."

"THAT was a taster?" Atul's eyebrow rose. Damn, he just had to imagine the amount of guns those people wanted to acquire. They probably wanted a lot more than the odd rifle.

"You are running with the big dogs now, Barun. We are fighting over big bones."

Atul nodded. "So, I will take this to my people and see if it has the quality we were promised?" Atul motioned for the package.

Nishant's eyes scrutinized him for a long moment. "Yes and if you try anything stupid, you are dead and maybe it's not even me who will put you down." It was not a threat but a calm statement of facts, which was a lot more scary.

"I know. I am not that stupid."

"Good." Nishant handed him the package, dropping the serious persona like a cheap outfit to bring back the lazy smirk. " Then ,move along."

Atul nodded and made to get out of the car that had picked them up at the airfield their helicopter had landed on.

Atul was about to go, when he was stopped by Nishant's voice.

"Keep that cell phone on you."

* * *

" Toh iska matalab, yeh saab kuch ek shurubat hai ek baare operation ka?"

Atul nodded, even though his senior could not see it. " Haan sir. Lagta hai ki woh log kuch baara permanent dekh rahe hai baare matra mein."

" Kya tum pata laga sakte ho ?"

" Haan sir. Unn logo ko Nishant chahiye agar unn logo ko weapons chahiye aur mujhe lagta hai ki woh mujhe pasand karte hai." He shifted the phone to his other ear as he booted up the computer.

" Kya tum iska phaida utha sakte ho ?"

Atul knew that if he use Nishant, nobody would spare a second thought for it if he did. This game he was playing was a dangerous one, and the best way to stay alive and on top of things was to have someone at his back. Nishant offered him a quick rise in the organization as well as someone to look out on his behalf. He would be stupid to not play along to a certain degree. It would be dangerous on a whole different level, because Atul could not get too attached. He would play the game and see where he ended up. It was the smart thing to do.

" Haan,sir, jaroor." The side of his mouth quirked up in a grin. " Aapko kuch mila iss Nishant ke baare mein?"

Everybody had a history. The trick was finding it. If one dug deep enough, things could be found on everybody, even if it were just a really bad reputation backed up with a few colourful anecdotes.

" Uska naam Abhisek Kumar Nishan hai. Bangalore ka rehne waala hai. Jab woh paandharah saal ka tha tab uska parivaar Goa mein shift ho gaya. Baap ka trading company tha. Maa baap dono hi kuch saal pehle ek car accident mein guzar gaya joki accident ki tarah nahi lagta. Paandharah saal ka Abhisek gayab ho gaya aur kuch hi saalo baad Johannesburg mein dikhai diya Nishant ke naam se. Aur taab se uska naam har trading company mein dikhai diya jo sirf ussi cheez ko hi trade karta hai jo ki bohot kimti ya phir na mumkeen hai trade karne ke liye. Woh ek arms dealer hai, par agar keemat acha ho toh kisi ke saath bhi trade kar sakta hai. Aur jisne bhi uske saath trading kiya hai unn logo ka yehi kehna hai ki woh aapne kaam mein pakka hai, aur aapne phaide ke liye kisi ko bhi maut ke mooh mein dhakel sakta hai"

Damn.

This Nishant guy is way too dangerous to be true.

Nevertheless, Atul nodded, filing everything away, for later use. He agreed with the last statement and was relieved that Nishant liked him. It made his life a lot easier and maybe would add a few years to it. But if his first name really was Abhisek, Atul understood completely why Nishant took on a variation of his last name as a pseudonym instead, giving one extra letter.

It did not take more than two days for Atul's new work phone to ring. He had to contact Nishant and set up a meeting with him to discuss the exchange rates of money, guns and drugs with Atul's bosses. Obviously, Atul had assumed an intermediate position as the contact for Nishant. Maybe that was because the other 'employees' were wary of dealing with the guy who shot the last negotiator in the head. And, frankly, they had a valid point.

Atul had strict instructions when he went to the meeting point to bring Nishant to the negotiations. This time it was Atul in the driver's seat, and he took a moment to revel in the switched positions. The arms dealer looked a lot like he had the first time they met, leather jacket covering the guns he had surely brought.

"I need to pat you down."

Atul could not help the grin that tugged on his lips when he informed Nishant of how things were going to work.

An eyebrow rose, but Nishant spread his arms in invitation.

"Two guns in the shoulder holster and one in the boot."

Atul nodded, removing the weapons and proceeding to thoroughly search the other man. It was only partly his revenge for their first meeting.

"Let's get going then, so we can go on to a more pleasurable pastime."

It was Atul's turn to raise his eyebrow.

"What exactly is this meeting about anyway? I thought the price was already negotiated."

They slid into the car, and Nishant settled into the passenger seat.

"Generally, yes. But they needed to check the quality of the merchandise before settling on the right exchange rate."

Atul frowned while pulling the car onto the street, starting the thirty minute drive that would lead them to the meeting. "How did you know how much merchandise to bring to the last exchange then?"

Nishant shrugged with a smug look on his face. "That's the art of it. For the taster, you need to bring enough so they see that you are liquid and have what they need. If the value is too high though, they will be suspicious, thinking you are trying to lull them, because you have got a deeper agenda. If you bring too little, the deal is off, and maybe you get a bullet in the head for your effort."

He seemed oddly amused about the process of guesswork that determined whether they had a deal or not. Nishant was a weird guy when it came to his understanding of danger. It seemed that in his book, Nishant thought of this as fun from what Atul had seen so far.

"So do you think you brought too much or too little."

"Both." Nishant grinned at him, chuckling with amusement when Atul looked at him like he was crazy. "I brought a little less guns than they probably expected. But I added something from the special menu as a treat."

Atul nodded. It made sense in a very creepy kind of way. He probably really did not want to know, what treat Nishant had him load into the truck, because all he had seen was guns, but that did not mean that the bottom of any of those crates did not hide something 'special'. The thought made him a little uneasy.

"Will they bite ?"

"Oh, they already did." Nishant's grin was a little dopey, and he leaned back in his seat, stretching out in a lazy cat after eating the goldfish kind of way.

* * *

"That went well. I did not even have to shoot anyone."

The meeting had taken only an hour but it had been high strung and tension filled, making Atul feel wary and uncomfortable. But he could practically smell the terrorism lurking just inches under the surface. He had dug deep. Now it was only a question of time until he got to the core of it all.

"You did not even have a gun."

"Is that an insult ?"

Atul just stared. Was that guy for real?

"No. I just meant that you could not shoot people, because I took your guns away."

"You really think that was going to stop me?"

A moment of silence followed when Atul held a stern, nearly petulant, gaze.

"I guess not."

Nishant seemed satisfied with the answer, lounging back in his seat and waiting for the car to pull in to bring them back to where their evening had started. The silence was not uncomfortable, and Atul was glad about that. By the time, they pulled up to the parking lot where Atul had picked Nishant up – and patted him down – Atul might have thought the other man had fallen asleep. That is, if he were not damn sure that someone like Nishant did not just fall asleep in other people's cars.

He stopped the car and got out to retrieve the arms dealer's weapons from his locked trunk. Nishant mirrored his moves to take the guns when Atul offered them to him, and then, suddenly, without even sparing a glance at him, he moved away, taking away his guns, much to Atul's surprise.

* * *

It was interesting – and not just a little schizophrenic – to watch the dichotomy of his and Nishant's interaction on the job as opposed to their private hours. Some things were the same. Nishant was cocky, pushing the envelope with everything he did, while Atul used the necessary care to keep all limbs attached, while going along for the ride. But thankfully Atul did not see much of the cold blooded killer Nishant's reputation spoke of when he was with , it was never an item.

Obviously, Nishant acquired his merchandise all over the country and abroad, and Atul sometimes, wondered how the guy managed to keep his contacts, numbers, places and times in order when he never took notes. It seemed that pen and paper were a foreign concept to him.

They were about to pick up what would likely be the last shipment of arms that would complete the first big transaction. That trade would take Atul closer to the organization, he was targeting than ever before, so he was angtsy and expectant at the same time. It also meant that the preparation period that had him interacting with Nishant closely was almost over.

"Let's go, Barun."

No matter, how often he walked into a meeting with unknown but definitely armed criminals, Atul never got over the rush of nervous energy and adrenaline. It was probably for the best, since that kept him on his toes, and his reactions at their fastest.

They walked next to each other, keeping in step, shoulders brushing every now and again, until they came to the right dock. As soon as their business partners were in sight, Atul let the other man walk two steps ahead of him, playing the trusted muscle and keeping his eyes open. Nishant played it cool, greeting the tall, man of middle age who waited for them with a handshake, and a smile that made Atul think they were familiar with each other. He thought that they had probably done business before.

The truck was loaded just as Nishant had ordered, and he took a quick look around the cargo area to see that he was getting, what he was paying for. When he re-emerged, he simply nodded at Atul, who retrieved the computer to transfer the money.

These days, the briefcase with cash was not the only way to make a deal any more. Some business men preferred wire transfer to the Caymans. Getting confirmation from the bank took five minutes, during which not many words were exchanged. Atul tossed a look at the car in which he and Nishant had arrived. It was an indistinct, gray Ford, probably illegally acquired and used as a one way article. They would leave it behind in favor of the truck, and nobody would be any the wiser. Nishant even left the key in the ignition. It was more than likely that the car would be stolen, before anybody even wondered about it being parked there for too long, so they did not need to worry about that. Someone else would clean up for them, unknowing that they did.

The snap of a cell phone being closed had Atul focus on the man who had greeted Nishant. He gave a nod, and they took that as a signal that the transfer was completed.

"It's always nice doing business with you. Until next time then."

Nishant nodded at the man and had already started to turn away, when he froze. The clicking of guns was loud in the night air, and Atul tensed. The muzzles of four guns were trained at them. Damn. Their business partners had just turned to enemies. " What the hell do you think you are doing, Pellegrino?" Anger was sizzling close underneath the surface of Nishant's voice.

The man shrugged with a tight smile. "I am sorry, Nishant. But you have overstepped your annual limit. With the amount of arms, you have been shipping in and out of the country in the last weeks, you have gone too far. My partners and I will not let you monopolize our turf. Now tell me who you were selling these to."

" You did not say please." Nishant seemed more pissed off than afraid in the face of several armed men, while Atul mapped out their location. The truck with the merchandise was behind them and would be the only means of escape, and it was slow and hard to maneuver. The Ford was closer, but it would not be an option, because the armed men were positioned in a way that allowed Atul to get to the car but not the car to get off the docks.

Atul studied the four men with the guns, and Pellegrino, who probably came packing as well but had not felt the need to bring out his gun, yet. They had a chance of taking them down. But they also needed some luck to not get killed doing so. The two men standing closest to Atul and Nishant, they could handle. But, then they would probably get shot before taking out the other three. Atul's heart dropped when three more armed men appeared on the ship lying at the dock.

Nishant was tense as a piano wire next to him as he sneered at the man who had betrayed them. "You know, Pellegrino, messing me over is stupid enough. But you made one big mistake."

"Oh?" The man seemed bored. He had enough firepower backing him up to have earned it too.

"You should have shot me when I had my back turned."

The last word had not quite left Nishant's lips when he darted to the side, jumping forward headfirst and rolling over on his left shoulder to come up on one knee as he drew both guns simultaneously from their place in his shoulder holsters. The first shots that penetrated the silence of the evening hit the concrete a few feet from where Nishant was just a split second before.


	4. Chapter 4

Atul did not hesitate but ran towards the Ford, which was the closest kind of cover there was, pulling out his own gun and firing, more to make his attackers lose their aim than to hit anybody or himself. He gazed over the hood and started aiming. One gunman was already down, probably taken out by Nishant, who had several of their attackers ducking behind their own cars that stood in a semi circle in front of the waterside where the ship lay. Nishant took the moment he had gained from the men following their instincts of self preservation to jump to his feet again. Atul shouted out, willing Nishant to take cover too and laying a curtain of gunfire onto their attackers, to give Nishant a window to do so.

Atul ducked back behind the car, when muzzles flashed on the other side of the fight, loud bangs ripping through the air. Glass shattered over his head and rained down on him like sharp glitter. The sound of boots sliding over gravel, was followed by the thud of Nishant landing unceremoniously, behind the front wheel of the now banged up Ford. He was panting heavily, face pulled into a grimace as he popped the magazine out of one gun and slid a new one in with a loud click.

"We need to get out of here."

"Right," Atul agreed. "I am open for a plan." Bullets hit the steel chassis of the car, penetrating a tire that deflated loudly.

Nishant frowned, thinking. "We need to distract them long enough to grab the truck and get away." He rose just enough to hold his gun over the hood of the car and release a series of shots in the general direction of their enemies.

"And how do we do that?"

The said man handed Atul one of his guns. "Keep them off. This might take a minute."

Atul gaped at the man as he got down on the ground sliding under the car flat on his back.

_Great. Just great._

So, now he had to fend them off alone. Grabbing the second gun tightly, Atul ducked out at the front of the car and aimed for one man crossing the space between the two car barricades, obviously encouraged by the lack of fire on their side. Two bullets to the chest dropped him like a bag of potatoes and Atul hoped it would discourage any similar attempts to sneak up to them.

Two down, only five more to go. He could not be sure, if they had hit anyone else in the mad exchange of shots, so he had to count with the worst case. His head jerked to the side when the driver's door next to him was opened. Nishant seemed to be lying flat on the seat and the engine of the car started up with a growl, making the metal Atul leaned on vibrate.

"Prepare to run to the truck, Barun."

The car started rolling and Nishant slid out of the seat, keeping his head down while creeping to the end of the car before jumping to his feet.

"Now!"

He discharged a series of shots to make the gunmen duck away long enough so he could start sprinting towards the truck. Atul imitated him, raising both guns and shooting while walking backwards. He did not see the puddle of gasoline that had formed where the car had just stood, until a ricocheting bullet ignited it. The glaring fire stung his eyes, and they widened when he saw the trail back to the rolling car that had almost drawn level with the other shooters by then. Warning shouts filled the air, and Atul stopped shooting to run for cover. But he was not fast enough.

The car exploded with a deafening bang, and Atul was thrown backwards, hitting the truck with a vengeance. His head knocked against the metal of the door, and he crumpled to the ground, out cold.

* * *

"Atul ? Utho, c'mon. Utho !"

A hand was smoothing over Atul's pounding head as the dampened sound of a voice penetrated the haze, that was his mind. He groaned, feeling a sting when fingers touched a sore spot on his temple. He rolled sideways trying to blink his eyes open, feeling nauseous, and the rocking of his bed did not help. It took a while for him to realize, that it was not a bed he lay on, but the seat of a car, and that his pillow was actually a thigh.

"There you are. Mujhe toh laga tha ki shayaad tum gaye kaam se , Barun."

Atul frowned around his headache, memory of what happened to have him in such pain returning. His ears felt sore, and sounds were muffled, but he could still hear Nishant's words. He took a moment to inwardly smile at the man's concern, before he froze mid-thought.

_Atul ? _

_Wake up, man.  
_  
_No way._

Nishant could not have said that, right ? He did not KNOW that Atul is his real name. Atul stared up at the other man as he shifted gears, turning the truck's wheel to the left.

_No._

Maybe Atul had hit his head harder than he thought.

The nagging feeling never really left him the next day. The pain medication that took away his headache just stole his last distraction, and Atul found himself pondering what to do.

_What if Nishant knew ? _

Atul had no idea how that could be possible, but if Nishant really knew his name, then he also knew that Atul was no drug dealer.

He studied the said man for hints, anything that might give away that Nishant did not trust him, that he knew more than he let on. There was nothing just Nishant being Nishant, and Atul was not sure if he should be relieved or disturbed.

" How's your head?"

"Fuzzy. But the pain is mostly gone."

His good training hid all signs of doubt from Atul's voice, and he was thankful for that.

Nishant held his gaze as if trying to see for himself that Atul was not about to faint, puke or simply die. He nodded after a long moment, fingers smoothing over the bump on Atul's head. He had not apologized for preparing the car to blow up, and Atul had not expected him to. They had improvised, and they had survived and that was good enough. After several hours of sleep, and a hand full of painkillers, Atul felt halfway human again.

"Are you up to the big meeting?"

"You want to go through with it?"

The original plan had scheduled the next day for the first big scale trade of guns for drugs. They would need to get the merchandize on its way today.

"I am not going to back out now, just because I have some supplier trouble, Barun. I have the merchandise, and it does not change anything about our deal. I will deal with Pellegrino and his comrades after tomorrow's transaction. He's not the only one who can supply what I need."

Atul nodded. Nishant seemed determined, and there was no arguing with him when he was like that.

"Good. Come on then, we got a cruise to catch."

* * *

What the hell was it with gun trading and docks?

Atul ground his teeth together at the fact that he was at another dock, well, rather a pier this time. Atul had really started to hate ships, havens and docks, especially after his experience of just forty eight hours earlier. His head was still throbbing dully, and he was glad that it was night, so he would not have to squint against bright daylight.

It was still nagging on his mind, the name he thought Nishant had said, and he had gone against protocol. He should have called his senior, and reported that his cover may be blown. He had not though. He was not sure, and there was no other reason to believe that Nishant knew anything, but for that concussion heavy moment. Frankly, after all this time, Atul was too close to his goal to throw it all away for a maybe. He refused to acknowledge the fact that, despite all caution, he had gotten attached to Nishant. He wanted to believe that if Nishant knew, he would not blow Atul's cover. It was a foolish thought, of course.

He watched Nishant hop off the boat onto the pier. The merchandize, they were trading was several truckloads worth, and they had agreed on filling the cargo bay of a fishing ship with ample space under deck.

Atul followed the arms dealer – by now he had problems actually thinking of Nishant as an arms dealer sometimes, and he kicked himself mentally for it – glad that he was not one to become seasick and had no problem with the transition from ship to land.

They stood next to each other for this meeting. Nishant, being the one with the merchandise while Atul represented the money behind him, they walked in as equal partners this time. It came with a bigger risk for Atul, but also with more influence.

Atul did not mind the slight increase in danger, if he had learned anything from the incident two days ago, it was that this job was dangerous enough. Not that he had expected any different. A day on a ship full of guns, explosives and other toys of war should not have helped Atul's headache.

It felt good to stand next to Nishant, shoulder to shoulder like partners – Atul's inner voice started a rant of _Itoldyouso_, and Atul squashed it, deciding that it was already too late to NOT get attached to the other man, instead sucking in the last of their companionship, before the trading was completed, and their partnership was terminated. Maybe they would bump into each other every now and again when details had to be revised. But, then, Atul was not sure how much longer his mission would take, and once he had fulfilled his orders, there would be no going back. Part of him mourned the fact that he and Nishant were on two different sides of the team. But Atul would fulfil his duty, no matter if he hated it or not. The only thing that made him breathe easier was that Nishant was not a part of his agenda. The man would probably lose some money, once his business partners went down for terrorism, but Atul had the profound feeling that Nishant would take it in stride. There was some cockroach in that man's DNA.

This time they were the ones waiting for the other half of the transaction to come. It was a position of both strength and weakness. They were there first, could scout the surroundings and make sure that no surprises occurred. But they were also sitting ducks. Hopefully, the terrorists slash drug dealers would not leave them waiting for too long.

"Are you ready ?" Nishant asked.

"I guess."

" What are you thinking ?"

" My life. Never knew, that in my case, it even have the tendency, to take a u-turn."

Their eyes met as they exchanged knowing smiles.

* * *

Unlike money, drugs could not be wired to their new owner, which was the reason for two sports bags to change hands during their transaction. Atul checked the merchandise after Nishant and he gave the buyers a tour around the cargo bay of the fishing ship. The security detail Atul's employers had sent along – three guys with big guns and sinister scowls - was quiet and exited the ship with them to hand the thing over to their buyers.

Both parties kept their word, and Atul's chest felt a little lighter, once everybody seemed satisfied. Nishant zipped the bags closed and nodded at the man opposite him, a man in his fifties with olive skin and dark eyes. Atul did not know his name. Introductions had not been given. Next to him was a younger man, who looked like he could be the guy's son. Maybe the similarities in their features were just coincidence.

"It was nice doing business with you", the man said and turned around to mount the ship. Atul picked up the heavy bags.

" Not so fast."

Nobody had seen them arrive until the first men – Atul and Nishant's security detail – dropped. They looked like some CID team, wearing heavy boots and vests, guns in their hands.

Nishant's guns were out with a whip, and he shot twice, hitting the first man in the vest, sending him off the pier with the force of impact. He did not get a third shot off, before a boot hit his hand with a brutal kick that caused his first gun to fall into the water just like the man before. The problem with guns was that they were not the most handy weapon once the enemy got within reach. The man attacking Nishant knew that as well and grabbed the hand still holding the other gun, struggling to dislodge either the weapon or wrist, whichever gave first.

Atul himself had to drop the bags before reaching for his gun and ended up with a rifle pressed to his back before he could really do anything.

_Damn._

He could not explain when things had gone to hell, but he watched in horror as a knife glinted in the full moon's light, and Nishant jerked, gun dropping as the blade cut into his arm. Nishant did not hesitate, jerking up his knee to hit the attacker in the hip, swaying the man's balance and gripping the knife hand.

The second knife appeared out of nowhere, and Atul shouted a warning that was too late to stop the blade from penetrating Nishant's chest once, twice, three times. The shout died in Atul's throat as Nishant's eyes went wide and the man sank into himself, falling backwards. The water splashed as Nishant's body hit its surface, sinking dreadfully slow. Atul could just stare.

It was surreal, this could not be happening.

He could not tell if it was one second or ten until a shot ripped his eyes away from the water where he still, uselessly, hoped to see Nishant resurface.

He looked up to see their older business partner lying on the pier, a puddle of blood beneath his body, while the younger man was pulled off the boat kicking and screaming. Atul still stood there, a rifle pressed into his left kidney, wondering what the hell had gone wrong.

" What is this ?"

The still living man demanded as he was pushed past the body of his partner. Atul noticed that he did not look down, maybe could not. The team that had jumped on them was filing onto the ship to check for any more security personnel, leaving Atul and his surviving business partner with three heavily armed men.

"I guess this is called a third party ripoff."

The man answering was the one who had knifed Nishant. " We take your guns, your drugs and your lives. It's a win-win situation for us."

Atul nearly gagged when he watched the man cleaning the blade of one knife on his pants, leaving dark red stains on tan colored cargo pants. He had to do something. These men were killers. Nishant was dead. Survival instinct jumped alive in Atul, and he did not hesitate. The man's explanation had demanded all attention, and Atul used the moment to turn, knowing exactly where the man behind him, and his weapon were, because the man had made the mistake of actually touching him with the muzzle. He grabbed the rifle, yanking on it hard, while kicking out, his kick connected with a kneecap, making the man howl with pain as he toppled over, letting go of his weapon. One jab with the rifle's butt had the guy out cold, and Atul turned around just in time to avoid getting shot himself, pulling the trigger and dropping the second man, leaving only the man with the knives.

As soon as the man holding him went down, the surviving drug dealer ran towards Atul, whose soldier training kicked in, spreading cover fire to keep the man from being gunned down in his retreat. He hit the knife guy in the leg, making him fall onto the pier with a shout.

Maybe Atul would have killed him, the rage inside him was sufficient for that, but shouts, and gunfire from the ship, and the men jumping onto the pier made survival his first concern.

Bullets tore into the wood at his feet, splintering planks with cracks barely audible over the gunshots themselves. Atul ran, shooting aimlessly backwards every tenth step more to deter other people's aim than to hit anything and jumped into the passenger seat of the car, the guy whose life he just saved had started up.

" Drive !"


	5. Chapter 5

Six months and twelve days, that's how long it took for Atul to get up close to some of the most dangerous men of the hemisphere. The strike was clean and left the four men that were his objective either dead or facing lifelong imprisonment. This bust should be something that felt good, right.

Only it was not, because six months and twelve days ago, Atul had last heard or seen Nishant and he still missed it. He had gotten attached, and woken up to a cruel reality where the man's death was not even really acknowledged as noteworthy by anyone Atul dealt with.

His superiors had seen the cluster of mess that was this transaction as a blessing in disguise, because obviously the older guy who died had been dangerous while the man Atul involuntary saved – a nephew as he found out later – was thankful enough for the assistance to be a valuable contact in the organization.

Atul knew he should not grieve for Nishant. All concerns about the safety of his cover had left with that man. But grief was neither rational nor controllable, and all Atul could do was concentrate on the job, enveloping himself in work. It was not hard to lose himself in the undercover work, to keep focused and determined in the hope that the feeling of loss would fade, just like homesickness did.

It only worked to a certain degree, his resolve not to think of Nishant crumpling when he had too much time at his hands. When the mission was over, and the goal was accomplished, Atul fell into a hole. One where he found himself wondering just how much he had slipped up.

Sometimes he wondered if Nishant was not still alive. He had never heard if his body was recovered, nobody caring enough to let Atul know if it had. But Atul had seen the blood on the knife, and the three stabs had been lethally placed, that much he had seen, even in the scarce light of the night. Still, part of his mind sometimes found solace in the uncertainty that maybe, just maybe, by some divine intervention, Nishant had survived. After all, there had been some speculation about cockroach genes earlier.

But, impossible as it was, if Nishant was indeed alive, he had gone deep. Atul did not take him for the kind to tuck tail and run, leaving behind the business and contacts he had built. It seemed so out of character that the little flame of hope finally sizzled and died pathetically. He would not have expected Nishant to return to him had he survived. But not hearing anything from him, was only more reassurance that he was dead indeed.

Atul sighed, shaking his head wondering when his training had gone out the window for a trigger happy guy with a bad attitude. He zipped his bag close and lifted it off the bed, walking out the door, leaving behind what had been his cover for so long. He had a plane to catch. Maybe if he got away from Barun, the international drug dealer, he could finally find some peace of mind.

* * *

Atul leaned back, chugging the last of his coffee and bobbing his foot up and down restlessly, as the caffeine entered his bloodstream. He had debriefed, meeting DCP sir in the Delhi CID headquarters, halfway home.

Sometimes, Atul would have assignment after assignment for over two or three months, never having time to breathe, or to think. It was just what he needed to distract himself. But this particular job had taken nearly two years with all the preparation that had flowed into it. He had expected them to cut him some slack now. Maybe a month to go home and visit his fiancée, telling her about the cover job he was supposed to have – building water pipe-lines in Africa.

Atul was just about to go out, when the door to his room opened, with two men entering. One was young, about his own age of medium height and fit build. He looked strong, and just a tad bored, hair buzzed short over his eyes that made Atul frown. He did not know the man, but he was not a stranger by the feel of it. By his posture and looks, Atul decided that he was probably a CID officer. He looked liked a fighter, and a cocky one at that. Maybe they had trained together at one point or another ? Atul did not think so. He does not forget a face that easily.

The other man was not much older, perhaps in his late twenties with dark hair cropped short on head and looked more charming than a youngster. He wore a charcoal suit and expensive shoes which, next to the jeans and shirt of his much younger companion, made him the one in charge. His eyes were hard and piercing, and Atul stared back with a raised eyebrow. The man did not look like a CID officer but he had the air of someone who had spent a long time being just that. He had probably outgrown field work by now, being the one to send out the younger men, planning missions maybe. He looked like a cold strategizer.

" Officer Atul ?"

Atul nodded, not getting up from his seat, but setting the empty cup down. Maybe he was already about to be briefed about his next mission, although usually formal introductions were made when he met any new higher-ups.

" Can I help you ? "

"Maybe." The man gave him a charming but calculated smile. "My name is Vivek. I came to make you an offer."

" One I cannot refuse ? " The pun was intended, and he saw the other man's mouth twitch into a grin. Vivek did not answer, instead sitting in the chair opposite Atul's at the table.

" Main chahta hoon ki tum ek assignment pe jao." he started.

" Assignment ? " Atul's eyebrows furrowed.

Just a few days ago, he has been in two assignments, been having to complete in a month, and now, without any warning, some people had come to him, from god knows where and demanding him to go on an assignment. The nerve of them.

Just who do they think they are ?

" Chalo, theek hai. Let me refresh your memory. Remember, what happened six months ago. The drug cartel. Richard Speight. Lauren Cohan."

_God. How could he forget that assignment ?_

_Nishant._

It has been six months since that assignment, and he has been trying to forget about it, but now, these people have to dig it up and throw it back at his face. What is it so important about that assignment anyway, that these two, whoever they are, cannot seem to bury the skeletons in the closet. As far, as he knows, the goal has been achieved and the guilty ones have been rightfully put behind bars. So, what now ?

" Lagta hai, tumhara yaadash theek hai. Toh, jaogi ya nahi ?"

" Pehli baat, main aap logo ko jaanta tak nahi. Aur rahi baat, uss assignment ki, woh toh kaab ka khatam ho chuka hai."

For a moment, both at them looked at Atul, with unblinkingly. Finally, Vivek gave a wry smile.

" Lagta hai, tum abhi bhi bohot piche ho. Chalo, main tumhe bata deta hoon."

_What the hell are they talking about ? _

Noticing the lost expression on Atul's face, Vivek became serious.

" Main tumhe ek case ke baare mein batane jaa raha hoon. And you fill in the blanks if I forget something, ok."

Ok, Atul thought. That he can do, only if he have a inkling of the particular case, which Vivek was about to speak of.

" Theek hai, boliye."

Vivek nodded and began to start, " Yeh case do saal purana hai. Do saal pehle, Delhi ke ek museum mein ek bohot baara heist hua tha jismein ki teen kimti idols chori hua tha aur saath saath mein ussi samay mein ek bank se nabbe lakhs chori hua tha. Aur exactly, ussi samay mein, Mumbai, Chennai aur Pune mein paach minute ke liye blackout hua tha. Jab lights aaya toh museum se idols aur bank se paisa gayaab aur unn teen jagaahho se sabse kimti jewellery auctions se bhi gayaab. Phir…."

Vivek stops, trailing off at seeing the expression on Atul's face.

How could he, Atul, forget that case ? That was one hell of a case, which has shaken the three states, along with others. Yet, even now, he cannot forget that it was the very same case, through which he came to enter the world of drugs, guns and money as a undercover agent, naming himself Barun Singh, a drugs dealer.

" Haan. Mujhe yaad hai. Kaise bhul sakta hoon main ? Uss case ko picha karte karte pata chala ki unn sab ke piche ek gang ka haath hai. Uss gang ko picha karte main underworld tak chala gaya aur wohi se mujhe pata chala ki woh gang dealers hai. Sab kuch deal karta hai aur woh log humare desh se smuggle karke bahar desho ko beshta hai."

" Exactly," Vivek nodded, furthermore continuing, " aur tum uss gang mein ghus gaye ek drug dealer banke, jiska naam Barun Singh tha. Tum jis aadmi ke saath kaam karte the, Nishant, ussne tumhare boss, Richard Speight ko goli maara tha, jiske karan tumhe uske saath dealing partners baan na paara."

" Haan. Aur woh mera akhri dealing assignment tha jis din humare upar hamla hua tha."

" Phir uske baad kya hua ?"

" Phir, uss gang ka bhanda photo gaya, And what more ? The guilty ones have been put behind bars. Case closed."

" That's where you are wrong, Atul."

_What ?_

" Yeh aap kya keh rahe hai ? " Atul asked in a shocking voice.

" Darashal, baat kuch aur hi hai."

" Main kuch samjha nahi."

" Uss din jab blackout aur heist hua tha, inn saab ke piche ek aadmi ka haath hai, Andy Hennings. Unka karobaar alaag alaag desho mein hai aur yeh aadmi kaafi influential bhi hai. Yeh saab jo unrest ho raha hai, inn sab ke piche unka haath hai. Lekin kisi ke paas koi sabood nahi hai ki inn saab ke piche yeh Andy hai. Woh kaam karta hai lekin koi trail nahi chorta, isliye usse pakarna muskil hai. Aur agar usse bina sabood ke arrest kiya, toh yeh ek international incident ho jayega. All, in all, tum yeh keh sakte ho ki yeh aadmi bohot dangerous aur jitna jaldi ho saake, sabood ke saath usse pakarna hai."

" Toh aap yeh chahte hai ki main aap logo ko madaad karu iss Andy ko pakarne ?"

" Haan."

A simple yes, but the assignment…

" Why me ?"

" Tumne kabhi socha hai, tumhare uss last dealing assignment mein officers ne kyun hamla kiya aur woh bhi CID officers ? Kyunki usse pata chal gaya tha ki uske aadmi ke beech koi gaddar hai jo ki CID se mila hua hai. Tumhe kya lagta hai, Atul, ki woh log tumhe jinda chorega ? Kabhi nahi, jab tak tum jinda ho, tab tak woh log tumhe dhoondta rahega. Aur woh log tabhi saas lega jab tumhara dead body uss Andy ko milega. Tum kabhi yeh maat sochna ki tum safe ho. Yeh Andy ka aadmi har kahi hota hai. Aur sirf humare desh mein hi nahi balki har ek desh mein hai. Aur agar, tumne kabhi bhi gaaddar karne ki bhi galti ki, toh woh log tumhe paatal se suunke nikalega, agar tum waha chupne jao toh."

Atul felt his head reeling from the shock, of what he has just heard.

He has always felt that his assignment six months ago, was very easy. But, beneath, he has always felt a nagging feeling that maybe, there is more to the eyes, than it has been let out. But, never, in his wildest dreams, he felt this coming.

" Oh please, maybe he is not the right guy after all. Vivek, tum apna samay barbaad kar rahe ho aur woh bhi."

It was the first time the other man had said, and Atul's eyes snapped up to his face. That voice, he knew that voice. He narrowed his eyes, taking in the features that were partly unfamiliar, yet familiar.

The, he remembered. That man, whose back was to him, and holding a knife at Nishant, and yet he could not forget him.

When realization struck, Atul was out of his seat with a beat, kicking out to catch the man's leg. The twitch that accompanied the expected reaction only ascertained Atul's suspicion, and he had the man against the wall, before he could protest. Atul's arm pressed down on the man's throat as he stared into those eyes of the man, he had so nearly forgotten.

"You. It was you."

The guy could not answer as he was struggling for air. His feet were hardly touching ground any more, as Atul, several inches taller and about fifty pounds heavier – held him, unrelenting.

"You were the team leader during the third party ripoff. You killed Nishant, and you nearly killed me."

" Tumne theek hi kaha tha. He is good."

Whoever Vivek was talking to, Atul did not care. He also did not care that this man was an officer like him, probably only following orders. That man had killed Nishant.

" Atul, that's enough."

The familiar voice hit him like a slap to the face, while strong hands grabbed his shoulders, pulling him off the man, who had turned purple by then.

Atul let go without a fight, too shocked at the sound of that voice. It made all the small hairs on his body stand on end. He spun around mouth agape and eyes wide as he was faced with the very man, whom he thought dead.

" Nishant ? What the hell ? I thought you were dead."

An apologetic look was coupled with a smirk as Nishant shrugged in answer.

" Tarun is not that good."

They both ignored the weak protest from the man, now sitting on the ground gasping for air and massaging his abused neck.

"My mission was ending, aur unn logo ko pata chal gaya tha ki main ek CID officer hoon. That's why, we had to arrange my extraction in a way that would not compromise your cover. Aur upar se , humara older business partner ko bhi raaste se hatana tha and it was the perfect opportunity. Two birds with one stone. And by the way, mera naam Nishant nahi, Rajiv hai."

Nishan- no, Rajiv's explanation made sense on a level that Atul hardly acknowledged, since his brain was still stuck with _Rajiv's alive_, and _Rajiv's a CID officer._

He hardly nodded when Vivek picked up the fallen guy, Tarun, apparently, and left the room with a simple: " Consider it, Atul."

"I thought you were dead," Atul repeated, simply staring at the man in front of him.

" I am sorry, Atul."

" Maine uss knife mein khoon dekha tha. Ussne waisa kaise kiye?"

Rajiv peeled up his shirt's sleeve, showing Atul a thin red line.

" The cut to the arm was real. The second knife was a fake." Atul stared at the small blemish, wondering just how much Rajiv had been willing to get hurt to keep his cover.

" So you knew I was also a CID officer ? I did not imagine it when you called me Atul after that explosion, did I?" The thought was sudden but clear. He had not imagined it.

The twitch to Rajiv's lips was all the answer he needed. " So you heard that, eh?"

Atul nodded, slumping to lean against the table, suddenly very tired after six months of constant nagging at the back of his mind. The way Rajiv had 'died' had not sat right with him, and it was like he could breathe a little easier now.

" Tumhara bolne ka style same hi hai." Atul said with a sudden smirk.

" Chup raho. Tumhe kya pata hai ? Mujhe iss mission ke liye do saal bahar rehna para, isliye mera hindi bigra hua hai. Just don't nag." Rajiv said petulantly.

Atul smirked and nodded at him, turned serious again, and asked.

" Vivek ne kaha tha ki uss last assignment mein jo hum logo ke upar hamla hua tha, woh isliye kyunki Andy ko pata chal gaya tha ki hum dono mein se koi ek CID officer hai, pata yeh nahi maloom ki hum dono hi hai."

" Usse kaise pata chala ?"

" Oh yeah. Actually, humare do aur officers aab bhi iss mission mein undercover hai. Abhijit, jo ki Chennai CID se hai aur Raj, jo ki Delhi CID se hai. Raj kabhi acha dost baan gaya hai iss Andy ka aur Abhijit, Andy ka personal secretary hai, jo ki uska business sambhalta hai Andy ke absence mein. Abhijit ne hi Andy ko bataiya humare baare mein Andy ka trust paane ke liye."

" Toh aab result kya hai ?"

" As expected. Abhijit has become quite a trusted employer of Andy, kyun ki Andy thinks that I was the CID officer among them and dead. And now, Andy bohot trust ka karta hai Abhijit ke upar aur unka har sab contacts aab Abhijit jaanta hai. Like I said, Andy aab Abhijit ko itna trust karta hai ki woh aksaar Abhijit ko apna business sambhalne deta hai."

" Toh aab Abhijit aur Raj dono hi Andy ke paas hai ?"

" Yeah. LA mein. Aur aab hume waha jaana hoga. What about you ?"

" What ? I am going too. I am not letting you hog all the limelight from me." Atul said, furthermore continuing, "Tumne bataya nahi yeh Vivek kaun hai ?"

" Oh. He is the head in charge of this assignment. And he is not Vivek, but ACP Vivek of Delhi CID branch. And about the others. Abhijit is an inspector from Chennai CID branch, Raj from Delhi CID branch and is also an inspector, Tarun, the one, who supposedly killed me, is a senior inspector from the same branch as Raj and I, am from Mumbai branch, and a senior inspector. Happy now ?"

Wow, Atul thought. Vivek has collected quite an arsenal from various branches. But-

" Kyu ? Mera matlab, Vivek sir ne- " Atul started, only to be cut off by Rajiv.

" God, Vivek ko sir kabhi bhi maat kehna. He will kill you. He never lets anyone call him ' sir'. Simply Vivek will do."

" Ok. Vivek ne alaag alaag branch se kyu chuna ? Koi ek branch se kyu nahi ? "

" Ok, according to Vivek, we are the best for this assignment and that's why, he has chosen us."

_Ok, now that's hardly a surprise, Atul thought. _

* * *

" No paper ? "

"No paper."

Rajiv's lips had an amused tilt as Atul tried to come to terms with the fact that there was no paper allowed in this particular mission. It was the ultimate way of avoiding a paper trail. All information was stored electronically, several security levels with different clearances were in place to control the access to data. Eyes only terminals to servers with sensible information, without a link to any outside networks, and several even more paranoid ways to secure their information, made it seemingly impossible to sneak out anything. The no paper policy was only the tip of the iceberg.

Atul could not quite tell why he had said yes to Vivek's assignment. Perhaps, the thing that tipped the scales was Rajiv. He had not told Atul to take the job, but he also had not asked him not to. The mission was the same here as in his previous position. Maybe the methods were less subtle and the cover was as deep as it ever got. But if the other men working there were like Rajiv, Atul knew that he was working with the best.


	6. Chapter 6

Los Angeles, Nzez Villa,

March 16, 1991.

Abhijit heaved a sigh as he turned over in the bed, his eyes moving over the room, unsure as to what woke him up, with his own body tangled in the white sheets. Just when he was about to launch out of the bed, he heard the indistinct jingle of the doorknob, meaning someone, is trying to come inside the room, but failing miserably, since he was fully awake.

So, that's it. That was what woke him up.

Feeling the gun, which he kept under the pillow, at all times, he whipped out the gun, pointing at the door just as the said person, opened the door and found out about the situation.

" Oh ho, you are awake," the said person pouted playfully, ignoring the fact, that a gun was just being pointed at the door " as usual."

" You are too loud," Abhijit said with a smile, " as usual."

" No way, darlin'. You are too good."

" Tania..."

" What ?" Tania asked innocently.

Abhijit shaked his head with a barely hidden smile, looked up at Tania, who has now sat beside him, " Ek khush khabar hai."

Tania was not a CID officer, but a childhood friend of Rajiv, and is a business partner along with Andy Hennings. Coming to know of the real nature of her business partner, Andy, she decided to help the CID regarding Andy, to put him behind bars as quickly as possible, despite others' concerns for her safety. And a fight have nearly broken out between Rajiv and Tania, regarding her safety, with none of them willing to back down. Rajiv, adamant, that Tania, being an innocent woman, should not get mixed up in the CID business, while, Tania, being unmovable, and told them that she wants to help them catch Andy, because he is a ' black spot' in a ' white world' in her words. Finally, after much persuasion, and arguments and promises, Tania has been given the green light to help them in their assignment.

Abhijit nearly had a heart attack, when Rajiv grumpily told him that one of his friends, Tania, will also help him, in his work, and that too, not being a CID officer. At first, Abhijit was sceptical of letting Tania work with him, but quickly, she proved to be as efficient as a trained CID officer, dissolving their fears as well as his, of her safety.

" Ok. What's the good news ? "

" The rest of the group has reached LA and is in the safe house now."

The rest of the group, he is sure of it that it consists of Vivek, Rajiv, Tarun and Atul, with Esha, another CID officer, who was in charge of the safe house. Just a week ago, he has been told the news, about Atul, another officer, from the Pune CID branch, finally joining them, for this mission.

Just a year ago, it came as a surprise to Abhijit, when he was approached by ACP Vivek, regarding his consent upon a mission, to dethrone Andy Hennings. As far, as he could tell, Andy Hennings was quite an influential person, or so he thought, later coming to know judging by some of the bizarre scams and forgeries, related to him, but having no solid proof because of the absence of trail.

And before he can blink, he has wormed himself into the life of Andy Hennings, as his personal secretary. At first, it was not easy. It has taken him three full months to earn Andy's trust to be his employee, and another one whole month to become Andy's personal secretary, capable of arranging Andy's life.

" Kya soch rahe ho ?"

Abhijit snapped out of his musings, when Tania's voice reached his ears. Turning sheepishly towards her, he gave a lazy smile.

" Kuch nahi, baas aise hi. Aur waise bhi, tum yaha kyu aaye ho ? "

" Yeah, about that. Boss ne tumhe Azi farm house pe bulaiya hai, kuch kaam hai tumse, kuch business dealing ek rival company se."

Raising his eyebrows, Abhijit looked the digital clock by his bedside and-

" Abhi toh sirf che baaja hai. Aur itni subaah kya kaam aa para ? "

" Woh toh tum hi jaano, Abhijit,ki usne waha kyu bulaiya. Shayaad kuch last minute preparations hoga."

Abhijit did not say in front of Tania, but he have a bad feeling about this.

* * *

Abhijit snapped the magazine into his sidearm with a click, loading the first bullet into the chamber before switching on the safety and sliding the pistol into the holster that was strapped around his right ankle. He repeated the process with the gun's twin and set it on the table in front of him.

And for a moment, he simply let his mind run free, closing his eyes. Now, come to think of it, the possible scenarios does not look very good.

Andy has never even called him before in that place, except the first day, when he was made the personal secretary, and shown him the farm house. Outside, it looked like a normal farm house, but inside, it is a hell house, storage consisting of black money, along with weapons of mass destruction, and ending with drugs, hidden skilfully.

And to be called to that place, and that too, for a business meeting, and that too with a rival company...

_Not good._

Let's see what happens, Abhijit thought and taking the chance, Abhijit moved away in the direction of the farm house.

* * *

" What the hell is he doing ? And where is he going ?" Tarun asked Esha, also a CID officer, now acting as a technician, after they received an email from Abhijit, just a few minutes ago, regarding his calling to the farmhouse by Andy himself.

" I don't know. He simply told in his mail that he has been called to the farmhouse...alone and that too, to a business meeting, with a rival company of Andy." Esha said.

The word 'alone' prompted everyone to raise their heads in alarm.

" Akele ? Kahi uss Andy ko kuch pata toh nahi chal gaya ki Abhijit ek CID officer hai ?" Rajiv said in alarm.

" Abhi kuch keh nahi sakte. Just be ready, in case, something happens." Tarun said.

" Exactly, hume farmhouse ke aas paas rehna chahiye. Taki agar kuch hota bhi hai, we can be ready for quick action." Atul said with determination, not wanting to put one of their comrades in danger.

" Then, don't just stand here. Move on as fast as you can. And two operatives in one car. But remember, be careful. I don't want any of you dying like nothing. "

It was said without putting much force behind it, but everyone present there, knew that Vivek was worried for each and every one of them, judging by his face. Nodding, they moved out in two vans, Rajiv and Esha in one, with Tarun and Atul in the other van , with the possessions, which will be required.

* * *

Parking his car at a far away distance, Abhijit got out, when he noticed two vans waiting by the side at a distance, and without any doubt, he knew that they are back-up. Two vans with two operatives each. They would bring up the full automatic rifles if someone tried to start a war. Which he highly know will likely happen. Because anything can happen whenever Andy is present. Any calm discussion in a meeting has the tendency to turn into a shower of bullets, hailing from the both sides, whenever Andy is present.

He did not kid himself, of course there would be shooting. Business within the underworld, comprising of Mafias were not a bunch of nice, civilized persons who would take a loss easily and fade away without attracting too much attention. They would start shooting as soon as they noticed one of their people falling. Considering the person, that Abhijit was called to the meeting, it might even get nasty enough for them to mount a revenge attack, because within the underworld, he knows, that he has the reputation of being the right hand man of Andy, who does not hesitate to pull the trigger at anyone, who tries to endanger Andy's life. Best not to give them or anyone to try their revenge on. Let them chase the phantom of an enemy they did not know.

Abhijit shrugged his leather jacket on, taking out from inside the car, doing its best in hiding his weaponry, and attached his communications system to his right ear, switching to channel two.

But, Abhijit knew, he is also gambling with his life, because if someone comes to know, that he is also a CID officer, and working for them, might lead to disastrous results within the underworld, if either one of the parties comes to know of his involvement with the CID. Because, right hand man or not, no one will hesitate to kill him, if the truth gets leaked out. Because, that's how things works in the underworld. Anyone from the law, is considered a plague, and no one will even stop to think, but to snuff it, and remove the main root.

He checked his panel for last minute alterations to the profile, but there were no changes. Good. As he looked up, he knows that Rajiv was watching him from the platform in Com.

Abhijit was used to being the head strategist on his own missions. If he planned them, and he executed them, he knew there would be no mess ups. He had set up Rajiv to run Com. for him at the scene. The other officer would be only half a block away in an intelligence van, watching his every move, coordinating his back-up and staying alert of the overall situation. Abhijit trusted Rajiv to do that job well. The young man had been in the CID department for a few years now and he had done well in their missions together – apart from that conscience and morality thing he had running. Rajiv was a man of faith. Faith in the righteousness of their mission. Faith in the good outcome of their actions and the well meaning of his decisions. Whenever civilians got involved, Rajiv grew morals and it did show that he have more of a heart than all the other operatives together. Rajiv was one of the few who could do this job, kill people, lie and cheat and yet still keep his humanity in one piece.

It was risky, dangerous especially for Rajiv himself, and Abhijit was afraid that one day, the young man would refuse to act at completely the wrong moment and get himself or others killed. But, at the same time, he knew that his heart made him the right person to have Abhijit's back in situations like this. He knew that Rajiv would never forgive himself if something happened to Abhijit on his watch. He would do anything to keep Abhijit's head out of the firing line. The two of them had a connection - a friendship maybe - and Abhijit would never say it out loud, but he had come to care for the other man, during their time together in various missions, they had done together. Rajiv was one of their best, and Abhijit knew that Rajiv cared about him as well. That's why he had set Rajiv up for Com. It was selfish, and Abhijit knew that, but Rajiv was also highly qualified for the position, so nobody questioned his decision.

* * *

Rajiv's eyes were fixed on the screens that were screwed to the inside of the van. Each of them showed a different spot in their hot zone plus the security perimeter, that Abhijit had set up secretly in the farmhouse, ever since his first tour to the farmhouse, so they would be notified about any unwanted guests early enough to give the operatives the heads up. He stood rigid, all senses alert, looking over Esha's shoulder as the technician overlooked the intel via computer. The Satellite feed showed no hostile convoys or anything else unfriendly approaching.

He watched as the GPS-dot indicating Abhijit in the mass of people, obviously from underworld that moved towards the main room at the far end of the farm house. Before his inner eye he could see Abhijit's languid stroll, see him looking slightly bored as he made his way purposefully through the buzz of people. Finally, one of their camera caught a glimpse of him again as he separated from the crowd, turning around once, pretending to be smiling at a man. Rajiv saw his eyes dart to the sides checking for unwanted movement.

Abhijit suddenly disappeared from view, alerting the others and Rajiv watched the red dot as it completely veered off-direction and moved across the schematic map of the house. The red dot moved upwards to the second floor, and Rajiv felt his heart beating in his chest.

" Abhijit akhir ja kaha raha hai ? Moreover, he's avoiding the cameras. Why's he doing like that ?" Esha asked, the surprise element evident in her voice

This was the hard part. Where was Abhijit thinking of going and that too, avoiding the cameras. It was as if he does not want them to see him where he was going. This was where they could not control variables, and this was where Abhijit would have to hold out for himself if something were to go wrong.

Then a harsh whispered " My God !" made his heart skid to a halt. There was a loud scrambling, and a beep like from an electrical device.

"Abhijit ?"

He needed to stay in the loop, whatever happened was bad enough to have Abhijit break protocol. A loud bang made Rajiv wince, hands against his headset, and he looked up to see the screens showing the farmhouse at the far end of it smouldering as flames and smoke ascended from a hole that had once been the north corner of the second floor.

"ABHIJIT ! "

Esha looked at the screen for a moment, transfixed in horror but then started hitting the keys ferociously again.

" Something's wrong. There's no sign of Abhijit anywhere !"

Rajiv was about to yell into his headset, expecting an immediate answer, but a sudden movement at one of the screens caught his eyes. Moving forward, he saw Abhijit launcing himself in his car, and moving himself out of that place, in the opposite direction.

" Abhijit has moved in the wrong direction. He's moving away from us ! "

"Abort mission! Everyone, abort mission! Get out of this place, NOW ! "

_This was a nightmare. What had happened ? _

" Mission has been compromised, someone sold us out."

It took him a while to register the voice he had just heard over the scratchy com-signal as Abhijit's.

"Abhijit? Tum theek ho na ? "

_No answer. It could mean only one thing..._

_Damn it._

* * *

A screech made Atul pull off his headset, who was also in his van with Tarun, looking horrified and he saw Tarun flinch as well while typing viciously on the keys.

"Abhijit killed the channel with a Level 4 protocol. Switch to the emergency channel."

Atul switched channels and pulled his headset back on.

"Abhijit ? Woh aisa kyun karega ? Can you find his signal ? We need to get to him."

Tarun shook his head.

" There is no signal, Atul. He ditched the GPS and his Com."

" Woh aisa kyu karega ?"

" Mandatory Refusal. "

" Kya ?"

He did not understand what Tarun was saying, but he did know it has to be something important. Looking towards the farmhouse, he could hear shots raining down. This was a disaster, and they need to get out of there as fast as possible.

* * *

Abhijit's ears rang, and his eyes were burning. He had hardly managed to get out of the elevator, before the bomb had wrecked the whole second floor. The metal cabin had saved him from the blast, but he had had to crawl out through the emergency door in the ceiling while the elevator shaft slowly filled with smoke and heat.

He had crossed the third floor to the southern staircase where his chances of running into flames and wreckage were the smallest and made his way down. He had not reached the ground floor though, because he had heard shouts from the landing below, and a salvo of bullets had buried themselves in the concrete wall to his left. He stormed back up the stairs to the first floor, looking for a way out. The whole building sported ceiling to floor windows, and as Abhijit ran along the line of windows, he raised one of his side-arms, firing a few bullets to crack the glass in the right place, before throwing a pot-plant at the now marred window. The loud crash of shattering glass nearly drowned the excited shouting behind him. He saw a group of men exiting the staircase, running towards him , guns raised and decided that it was now or never. He jumped, hoping that the bushes beneath the window would be enough to soften the twenty foot drop. The impact was hard and unpleasant, leaves and branches whipping against his back and arms, but despite the promise of some future bruises, he was glad that he did not seem to have broken any important bones. He rolled out of the bush and started racing over the patch of greenery, trying to cover as much ground as his lungs and legs permitted. He heard shots and tried to keep his head down. A stray bullet tore at the sleeve of his shirt, grazing his left arm in passing. The faster he ran, the harder he would be to hit, so he struggled on, not looking back. Almost falling once in his attempt to run fast, he nearly lost his footing, but he regained his footing. The adrenaline from being hunted within an inch of his life helped him ignore the pain as he sprinted down the field, and without wasting any time, he launched himself into his car, and moved away from that place as fast as possible.

They had known, that the 'real' Abhijit, the CID officer was coming. Someone had given his cover away, along with the mission. He checked his Com. and found the channel still open with Rajiv yelling orders. He knew that he probably should just leave now and let them find out that he was not dead later and draw their own conclusions, but he did not want to do that to Rajiv. It was not his fault, and Abhijit could at least let him know that he was still alive.

" Mission has been compromised, someone sold us out."

With that, he pulled his Com-system away from his ear and attached it to the GPS tracking system and the small embedded computer. He hacked in the code sequence before dumping the whole bunch into the next sewer from the car. He needed a computer, and he needed to finish this job.

* * *

"I want to know what the HELL happened out there to let this hell rain down on my operatives ! Aur yeh Abhijit kaha hai ?"

Vivek, head of Operations – some just called him 'Operations' because everything that happened there , went though him, meaning that he alone was responsible for everything going on in their assignment - was anything but pleased, and Rajiv knew exactly why.

" They knew about Abhijit. Someone blew his cover. Him being called by Andy to the meeting was a trap," Rajiv offered.

Vivek studied him with a hard gaze that spoke of unbelievable horrors. He knew how to make recruits tremble with fear with merely a sideways glance.

" Main dobaara nahi poochunga…"

Esha spoke up, standing beside Rajiv looking smaller, than usual.

" Hume khud hi pata nahi ki Abhijit kaha hai. He sent us a message via com. after the explosion, saying that the mission had been compromised. He went down completely afterwards. The codes he used to kill his signal were Level 4 protocol. As far as we know, he's gone into Mandatory Refusal."

Surprisingly, Vivek's anger seemed to ease a little.

" Theek hai. Clean up that mess and then we have to draw in all available officers. We need to be ready, before this situation hits the fan. Abhijit won't take long to finish this one."

Vivek waited for Esha to nod and scrambled away to his coordinating workspace in Systems before stalking off to the main room.

Atul followed Esha and leaned against her desk. It was cluttered with electronic equipment of all shapes and sizes. Esha began the orders that would serve as a domino line to call in all hands currently outside the substation. They would all be kept on standby.

" Mandatory refusal kya hai, Esha ? "

Esha gave Atul a quick sideways glance, before refocusing her eyes on the screens.

" You are not aware of the protocol ? This is the second one specially made for some missions, and it has also been included in this mission, other than the ' no paper' protocol. "

" Obviously not."

It was annoying not to know what was going on, especially after seeing a whole farmhouse blow up around a friend. Rajiv had security clearance for all the information and protocols up to Level 3, so there were obviously some things he did not know. The highest clearance was 6. Only Vivek had that much power.

" Mandatory Refusal comes into effect when it is clear that a mission profile has been compromised by leaking into the enemy's hands. If you will, it is the default mechanism for dealing with treachery of unknown extent and/or source. The protocol demands that the operative cuts off communication and back-up completely to circumvent any further sabotage. He will stay off radar, until the required aim of the mission has been fulfilled."

Atul stared at her for a moment.

"So Abhijit is flying blind and completely without help, until we find him?"

Esha shook her head.

" Until his mark is dead. Before, the mission has successfully ended, every intervention on our part will be seen as possible sabotage. Everyone is the enemy, until Abhijit comes out of the Mandatory Refusal. All we can do is wait and see."

" But what if we try to get to him and help…"

" We won't. He will kill every officer on sight, because we have obviously been compromised. Abhijit can not trust us now."

Esha gave Atul a grave look, and the young officer swallowed hard.

" He would kill his own people because of a possible doubt ? "

Esha raised her eyebrows.

" This mission was of utmost secret. No third party should have known about it. I hate to say this, but i think the betrayer is someone among us. Moreover, about Abhijit, about killing his own people. He can and will do it, if the situation arises. Perhaps, you don't know, but in the underworld, he is known as the right hand of Andy. Not much different from Rajiv, when he was Nishant. You knew the character of Nishant, and after knowing, will you really question Abhijit's ability to do it? "

Atul thought for a moment. He had first met Rajiv a few years ago on a assignment, as Nishant. He had thought the man was an ice cold monster then. He had corrected the monster factor by now. But if this Abhijit is the same as Nishant, then, without any doubt, he can say that Abhijit would do anything on a job, anything. Atul shook his head, his mouth set in a stern line.

" No, I don't."

* * *

Abhijit walked into the little bathroom at the side of the old gas station, careful to keep his face covered by the ugly blue and yellow ball cap that would pull people's attention away from his face and keep him off the security tapes. He had ditched his leather jacket, knowing that the bullet hole in the left arm would only invite unasked attention, and he had changed into a green sports jacket which clashed nicely with the cap. This was not a beauty contest after all. The more people thought how ugly his clothes were, the less they concentrated on him. Hiding out in plain sight was the order of the day.

The men's room was anything but clean, and the neon lights flickered in the eerie silence of the slowly mouldering concrete walls. A tap dripped, giving the place the feeling of a Chinese prison cell, the tap dripping on purpose just to slowly torture the prisoners out of their minds. Only the electrocution equipment was missing. Abhijit shook his head to get rid of those thoughts. Sometimes, he wondered if he had done this mission a little too long.

He shrugged his jacket off, looking around to check that none of the clerks was enough of a pervert to have installed a camera in the bathroom stalls. Well, you never know, right ? Finding himself unwatched, he let the water run for a while, trying to get rid of the stale brown fluid that was trickling from the rusty pipes, until the water ran as clear as it ever would. He pushed up the sleeve of his shirt and checked the little red line of now coagulated blood, where the first bullet of the day had grazed his arm. Grabbing some paper towels, actually surprised to see that the bathroom was stocked up, he started wiping away the now brownish blood. Once, he was done, he pulled out a small roll of tape he had saved from his jacket before disposing of it. The tape was something you could always use, if only to dress a bullet wound so the new jacket would not get soaked with blood as he went on. After taping a little dressing of paper towels over the cut, he pulled his sleeve down again. Breathing came a little easier, and after taking a few seconds to breathe, he pulled out his guns and checked the clips. He had used only three shots so far, good. That left him with a good working base.

He stowed them out of sight, zipping up his jacket and looked at himself in the mirror, cataloguing what he knew about the target , and looking for a place to start. As he left the bathroom again, he walked away from the area that would be caught on the security cameras. He needed to change his way of transport. So, he needed a ride. Around the corner there was a shady bar with half a dozen bikes standing out front. Perfect.

* * *

Rajiv lay on his bunk in the substation. All the other officers were on stand-by waiting for the situation to hit the fan as Vivek had put it so eloquently. The station had enough bunks for all officers to stay when necessary, and they were supposed to get some rest and wait like good soldiers, until they were told to " go get them ". No wonder Rajiv felt like a dog sitting in its transportation box, waiting to be thrown into the fighting ring to face a big, mean bull terrier.

Rajiv was not the most patient person in the world. If he had wanted to sit and wait for the clock to call it an evening, he would have become an accountant not a CID officer. Rajiv was bad at waiting. Unlike Abhijit, who could sit and wait without blinking twice for days like some hermit, driving Rajiv nuts with his stoic ' Kya kuch der ke liye bhi nahi ruk sakte ?'

Abhijit, who was the only person who was not sitting and waiting right now, but who was doing god knows what out there - probably dodging bullets and killing people. It made the wait even harder to know that he should be backing the man up. Should do something, anything, to make Abhijit succeed. Not that he doubted the other's ability. But it would be better for Rajiv's mental state to know that someone had Abhijit's back. Of course, Abhijit would roll his eyes at Rajiv, saying he was a big boy, not some damsel in distress, but he would take the back-up nonetheless. He might be reckless , but he was not stupid.

His train of thoughts was cut short as the Com unit beeped next to his head. He reached up hoping for good news. It was Esha's voice greeting him.

"Rajiv, I need you to go down to the archive on level four and retrieve some files. Details are on your panel."

Rajiv frowned but gave his affirmation to Esha, getting up and leaving the room. He never got to the archive as he saw Esha giving him a long look though the open door of a small service room. Rajiv slid inside and closed the door. The hallways were on camera, but not all of the rooms, and Esha knew exactly where there would be no supervision. Rajiv frowned at her , dread bubbling up inside him.

" Kya ho raha hai, Esha ? "

"A situation arose that I thought you should be aware of. We have got a serious problem… Or rather Abhijit's got a serious problem."

Rajiv's breath hitched in his throat.

" Is he…? "

" Not yet."

Esha gave him a grave look. Usually, the young technician-slash-hacker-slash-CID officer had anything but a grave persona, and Rajiv felt more uneasy with every minute.

"But he soon will be if CID headquarters has any say in it."

Rajiv's eyes grew wide, and he did not care right there and then.

" Kya ? But Vivek approved of Mandatory Refusal !"

"Yeah, well he did, but just a few minutes ago he got a video message on an open channel from an unknown source, saying that a CID officer had been found, who had a hard drive copy of eyes-only data on this mission of the last six months."

" They got the mission-report of the last HALF A YEAR?"

"Yes and they will broadcast it to the media if we do not stop this mission."

Esha took a deep breath, a crease forming between her eyebrows.

" Who is the unknown source ?"

" Cannot say for now, but i think it is Andy or anyone from his side. We could probably stop the whole thing from going to the media, but it is a huge security breach, and the CID headquarters will get whipped really hard for having hard drives full of highly sensitive information circulating outside India. It would leave the headquarters wide open to having Vivek's position ripped right out of his hands. He won't let that happen."

Rajiv's ears started to ring as he felt his pulse getting faster, more erratic.

" What will he do ? "

Esha took a deep breath and looked up into Rajiv's eyes.

"You mean 'what has he done ? ' He has already mobilized all officers to stop the hit."

" But there is no way to stop the hit as soon as Mandatory Refusal is in effect…"

" There is a way, and that's why I called you."

Rajiv stood rigid for a long moment as realization hit him - fast and hard as a freight train.

" They are going to kill Abhijit, before the other source gets their hands on that hard drive."

Esha nodded solemnly.

" But the thing is that the hard drive can be with Raj or Tania also. So, we are not sure as to which officer are they talking about. It could be anyone of the three, since all the three are close to Andy. CID headquarters probably tried to keep you out of the loop as long as possible, but now..."

Rajiv shook his head.

" Obviously not, or you would not have cared to call me up. Vivek tumhe jinda nahi chorega agar usse pata chal gaya toh."

Esha screwed up her face in distaste.

"Make sure he does not, okay?"

Rajiv nodded trying to stop himself from hyperventilating at the prospect of the trio's early demise.

" So what do we do now ?"


	7. Chapter 7

Abhijit watched the couriers enter the restaurant through the back door. He stood in a quiet back alley and waited for his chance. There was a security man watching the back door, making it obvious that there was more than just the usual food-industry to be found in the Lebanese restaurant. It took three hours until finally there was a gap in security. The man on guard duty left, obviously needing to go to the bathroom, because he had been stepping from one foot to the other nervously for twenty minutes. He left after locking the back entrance temporarily.

As a truck pulled into the alley, Abhijit crept up to the driver's door and had the man out cold within seconds, stashing him in the small space between the dashboard and the passenger seat after relieving him of his work jacket, which bore a still life of vegetables and fruit on the back – the same symbol that could be seen on the side of the truck. He slipped it on and grabbed the paperwork the driver had already helpfully put out, before opening the back of the truck and grabbing a box of zucchini.

As the restaurant's back door opened again, Abhijit offered the clipboard with the latest vegetable order to the now relieved man who looked at it once before waving him through. Abhijit took his sweet time looking around while he carried in one box after another. His eyes sized up the perimeter and security measures. He knew who he was looking for, and he knew that said person was here, although getting to the said person might prove difficult.

He put the tomatoes onto a table at the back of the kitchen and strode over to the security man in the corridor leading to the restaurant. The guy looked at him, frowning.

"Sorry, buddy. Is it possible to use the bathroom?"

"No. Guests only…"

Abhijit pushed past the guy and was rewarded by the man following him three steps – just outside the sight of the kitchen staff – before grabbing his arm to make his point. He was surprised, because Abhijit was the one making the point, when he rammed his elbow into the man's Adam's apple, breaking his larynx, muting him immediately while closing off his windpipe. The man clutched at his neck and slid to the ground, stunned.

Abhijit moved towards the stairs at the rear of the dining area with fast, determined steps, without even a backward glance at the fallen man. He knew he would not get out of here without a brawl, but that did not mean, he could not get in without raising much attention. He took the steps two at a time and opened the door to the private room on the first floor, pulling out a silenced gun and shooting the two bull-like bodyguards, who jumped to their feet as he entered. Next to the door stood another man, who took a hold of his gun arm. Abhijit pushed the guy back with the weight of his body, until he collided with the wall. He turned his body toward the man and rammed a knee into his groin, hard. His arm was released, and the guy toppled over. A kick ensured that he would stay down for a while. Abhijit aimed his gun at a man in his forties with receding hair and a little too much weight to be healthy. He closed the door and locked it.

" They know you are here. You will not leave here alive."

Abhijit rolled his eyes. It was not the first time he had heard these lines.

The guy's face connected with the table. He did not need the man; he needed the computer that sat next to him on the desk, which had just proven, it was sturdier than the guy occupying it. By the time, he had sorted out the files he needed, there were loud crashes on the door. He scribbled down the necessary information and tucked the paper into his pocket. Returning to the door that was about to give way under the ferocious attack from the outside, he stepped behind the door, catching it as it flew open. Two men stormed in, guns flailing. Abhijit swung the door back at the second, throwing him backwards and down the stairs. The first guy flew around just in time to be shot through the heart from five feet away. He dropped dead instantly.

As Abhijit came down the stairs, the fallen security man lay groaning on the ground. Abhijit stepped over him and headed back the way he came, towards the kitchen. To his surprise, he saw a familiar face at a table only a few feet away.

_This was bad. _

Abhijit turned away from the guy and pulled his gun while he made a run for it. He slithered through the kitchen and was met by yet another non-stranger by the back door. This time he was not surprised anymore. He aimed before calling out to her. The woman had been watching the street outside the open door and did not see him until she heard his voice.

" Naoni ? "

She flew around with a startled look, an Uzi in her right hand. The bullet hit Naoni – he could not remember her last name – between the eyes. The kitchen staff went into self preservation mode, and within seconds, everyone was huddled to the floor arms over their heads, whimpering.

Abhijit took hold of the full-automatic. He could hear rapid footsteps approaching from behind him, and deduced that the other officer had pursued his sudden flight. Abhijit fired a salvo from the Uzi, bullets shredding pans and tearing into stoves. The man who had ran after Abhijit tried to jump behind the counter, but Abhijit was sure Tarun had been hit. He did not stay to check, but ran out into the alley instead. There was a car blocking the street, and another officer got out, guns raised.

Abhijit put his head down and dived for the open truck. He slid onto the seat, staying below the window as bullets buried themselves in the vehicle. He shifted into drive and pressed his hand onto the acceleration pedal. The car stood no chance.

* * *

" Kya hua ?"

Rajiv watched as they wheeled Tarun down the corridor clutching his left thigh with bloodied hands, swearing like the sailor he had once been – the guy had a lot of fun stories to tell if you just gave him a few drinks. Atul, who had come in behind the stretcher, looked at him with a deep frown.

"About Abhijit, we monitored the possible locations where he might turn up to get a new fix on his target. He saw the team before they could take him out. Naoni is dead."

Rajiv looked at him incredulously. He had only known the dead officer in passing. She had seemed nice, if a little overzealous. He did not know, if Abhijit had known her better, but it was a reasonable assumption to make as Abhijit – like every senior operative – used to train new officers. It made Rajiv sick to think of it.

He and Atul both watched, as they wheeled Tarun off to medical. The man had been here ever in this mission since Rajiv had started, and Rajiv knew that he and Abhijit were friendly even though they were not close buddies. Atul looked at him, the crease between his brow softening.

"Rajiv, you know, we all like Abhijit, even though i have not met him personally He's a great officer, from what i have heard from everybody and everyone here would prefer him on their mission to anyone else, because he knows the job better than any of us."

Rajiv set his jaw tight, muscles twitching.

"Yeah, does not keep us from trying to kill him."

"Or him from trying to kill us. It's the risk that comes with the job, Rajiv. That's what you all told me when i have asked about this Mandatory Refusal thing. Tumne hi kaha tha ki yeh aisa ek protocol hai jo ki har ek officers ko maan na hoga, jo jo iss mission mein hai. Abhijit accepts that. Maybe you should too…"

Atul clapped him on the shoulder and left to debrief with the strategists.

Rajiv knew exactly, why they had established the Mandatory Refusal. The job would be done, but if there were any political obstacles, then they were not responsible because the officer had acted alone and there was no officer to start with anyway.

" Rajiv…"

He looked up to see Esha approaching him with fast steps. They made their way down the corridor in silence for a while, Esha's tension obvious, before she looked around and started to talk in a low voice.

" I am looking through the files Abhijit went through. I think I know where he is going."

She clapped Rajiv on the chest and faked a laugh. A note found its way into the breast pocket of his jacket, and he refrained from looking down at it, laughing along with Esha.

" I can give you a one hour head start and then the troops will fall in."

Rajiv squeezed her shoulder as his heart sped up with excitement.

" Thanks Esha !"

" Don't let him shoot you."

"He won't."

Esha gave him a skeptical look as Rajiv turned and tried to look unsuspicious as he made his way to leave the facility. He knew Esha would cover for him, should his absence be questioned.

* * *

The bike's engine growled between Abhijit's legs as he sped along the road towards the factory building that was his next stop on the way to completing this job. He had hoped there would be no obstacles to ending this mission, but the trap in the restaurant had made it clear that someone at home base did object to his agenda. That meant , the betrayer was upping the ante.

He parked outside the building and approached it with caution. Getting here had taken longer than he had anticipated as he had taken back roads to stay off the radar as much as possible. It had eaten up a lot of his time. He inched to the door and was pleased but also alerted by the fact that it was open. Gun ready, he slipped in and looked around.

"Abhijit…"

He saw Rajiv stand on the wall of the room as he looked down the barrel of his gun. He pulled back the hammer of the pistol but the other man raised his empty hands.

" I am not here to hurt you, Abhijit."

" How long until the others will appear ? "

He knew he should get out of here now. But, he was too irritated by Rajiv daring to face him unarmed.

" Main yaha akela aaya hoon. Esha promised me an hour, before she would give this location up to the others."

Abhijit frowned at him, not lowering his gun by an inch.

" Why would you risk that? "

"Because they want to kill you, Abhijit!"

Rajiv's eyes were big and scared, and Abhijit knew this was one of the times that Rajiv acted against better judgment, the idiot.

" You have to stop ! Whoever you are out to kill, got hold of very sensitive data that could get us, and especially Vivek, into really deep trouble. They will release it if you are not stopped."

Abhijit let this sink in a bit. Of course, the mole who had given up the profile of the last mission must have found a way to get leverage over their agency. But that only increased the need to kill his target as fast as possible.

" You know I cannot stop, Rajiv. I am following protocol. The Mandatory Refusal exists for exactly this reason. I cannot and i don't trust any of you right now."

Rajiv looked hurt, but Abhijit only set his jaw in determination.

" How can you not trust me ? I would never do anything to endanger you."

" Really, you don't have any idea, of how this rat race started, do you ? You don't have any idea who betrayed me, you and the others, do you ? "

That stopped Rajiv in his tracks. It could mean only one thing that Abhijit had seen the mole in that farmhouse, from where this all started.

Rajiv stepped closer, and Abhijit tightened the grip on his gun.

" Tumne usse dekha ?"

Abhijit's silence was all he needed to know.

_Abhijit has seen the mole._

" Kaun hai woh ? "

" Why should I trust you to tell you, who the mole is ?"

His voice was silent and hard as stone as he questioned his friend, and, yes, Rajiv was more of a friend than anyone else he knew, furthermore continuing.

"Even if your intentions are only the best, that does not mean that no one compromised the information you have to work with. Your judgment cannot be trustworthy as long as all your sources are not and I don't trust anyone in the agency as far as I can throw them as long as this is not over and not even you."

" But they will kill you ! "

Desperation tainted Rajiv's voice.

" Let them try."

"Is this really worth it? Killing your colleagues, your friends, to follow orders that are long since invalid?"

Rajiv came closer once more, but Abhijit did not back up. The taller man stood only a foot away from the barrel of Abhijit's gun, but did not even think of trying to grab for it.

" Don't question me, Rajiv. Like i said, you don't know who the mole is. If you had known, you would not even be here."

" Then why the hell, don't you tell me the name of the mole, for which you are willing to go to such lengths ?"

" Tumhe biswaas nahi hoga."

" Try me."

" Its not that easy."

" Kyun bata nahi sakte ? Aisi kya majboori hai ?"

" Rajiv, tum mera samay barbaad kar rahe ho. Haat jao mere raaste se. Besides, you yourself said to me that it's not about doing the right thing. It's about reaching the right outcome."

Abhijit watched as Rajiv became first incredulous, but seconds later his mood turned to anger.

" This is not the time for one of your empty speeches about the greater good, Abhijit. I am not some wet-behind-the-ears recruit. But I won't watch you getting yourself killed."

"You don't have to. If you cannot live with the way things run here, why don't you go back to India ?"

He knew he was being cruel to Rajiv, but he did not have time for a debate about right and wrong, good and evil. Rajiv did not cope well with all the greys they lived with. Maybe he really should go back to a world where black and white still existed. Although, Abhijit would really miss him.

"Abhijit." Rajiv warned.

This was when Abhijit decided the conversation was over. He lowered his gun and switched on the safety.

"You want to stop me? You will have to kill me. That's the only way."

He spread his arms in invitation. Rajiv did not move, and Abhijit saw his chance. He dashed forwards and lodged his foot behind Rajiv's knee, making him lose his balance and hit the ground with his back hard enough for all the air to be forced out of his lungs. One hard smack with the butt of his gun put Rajiv out instantly.

"Sorry, Rajiv."

He ran down the corridor without looking back. Rajiv would not be out for long, and the troops might fall in any minute now. But he had to get what he came for.

* * *

Rajiv watched for a moment as the three teams circled the perimeter before storming the building, and he inched away slowly, so he would not be spotted. He had awoken with a groan in his throat, and a bump on his temple. Abhijit had taken him out, that stupid bastard. He had come to in time to leave the premises, before the storm troopers burst in – though barely by minutes – but Abhijit had already gone. Even if he had not, there was nothing Rajiv could think of to stop him from pursuing this crazy scavenger hunt except killing him, and that was not an option.

He slipped into the car, he had parked at a safe distance and pulled out his cell phone. The dialling process took a long time, and he waited for the connection to go through. These secure lines were a real hell if things had to move fast, but at least they were safe from external tap. But not from internal monitoring, which was why for the first minute, he did not say anything more than, "Hey Esha, it's me," until he heard the signal go out of focus for a second. Then Esha spoke for the first time.

" We have got two minutes. Did you find him?"

"Yes, but I could not talk him out of it."

"What a surprise. I could have spared you the trouble and just told you that he would not sway."

"Well, what was I supposed to do? Kill him?"

Esha laughed, although Rajiv could really not see the funny side of this conversation.

" Give him a hard whack upside his head."

Rajiv could not help the little grin that formed on his lips.

"Sure, that would have gone really well with the gun pointed at my face."

Esha sighed at the other end of the line.

"So, we just sit and watch, then, hope that Abhijit gets to the target whoever it is, before we come to know and get to him, and that headquarters will be gracious enough to blow his execution off, after the damage has been done…"

" He knows about the mole, Esha, but don't want to say it. Like he's trying to save that mole, whoever it is, by knowing the reason for the betrayal."

" Any guesses, as to who can it be ?"

" When Abhijit went into that farmhouse, there was only him from our side, and all the others from the underworld. But i think that, there was someone else too, whom Abhijit was quite shocked to see there, judging by his exclamation. Remember, what he said ?"

" Yeah, ' My God', like he could not believe his eyes at what he saw or heard. Rajiv, you- " Esha said, only to trail off in hesitation.

" Kya hua. Esha ? Kya baat hai ?"

" Rajiv, i hate to even say this, but you don't think that it may be Raj or Tania, do you ?"

" Kya tumhara dimaag toh theek hai ? Yeh kya keh rahe ho ?"

" No need to shout at me, Rajiv."

" Sorry. Pata nahi mujhe kya ho gaya tha. But, how can you be sure ?"

" Rajiv, i am not saying that it can be Raj or Tania. But think of it for a minute, Abhijit would not have exclaimed like that if who he saw or heard was from the underworld, because that can be expected. But to be betrayed by one of our own... then Abhijit's reaction like that can be expected."

" Raj and Tania would never betray us."

"Then why is Abhijit hesitating to tell the mole's name ?"

That's what the problem is. Abhijit's hesitation in telling the name of the mole. He could have just said the name and all this cat and mouse race could have just stopped. God knows, how many more officers will be dying by Abhijit's hands because of the goddamned protocol, which he is following.

But, come to think of it, now, even he began to suspect Raj and Tania. What are they up to ? Its like they have almost vanished into thin air. There have been virtually no news of them, after Abhijit's escape from the safe house. What if they are the ones ? Is that why Abhijit is hesitating to tell the name of the mole because it is from their own side ?

" Par pata laga ne ka ek upay hai. There is one more option."

" What are you talking about, Rajiv? You said it yourself. Abhijit won't budge."

"Well, if we cannot stop Abhijit, we have to stop our own people."

"Yeah, sure ! While we are at it, we could ask Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny if they are coming for Poker on Friday… Are you out of your mind? There is no way to-"

"Yes, there is, Esha. I want you to find out where and who has the stolen hard drive, that is, which officer has it and I will retrieve it. Then, Vivek will have no reason to keep this headhunt running."

There was a moment's silence, before he heard Esha take a deep breath.

" Nice idea, Rajiv, but headquarters clearly forbid anything like that, because if they know, we are going after their leverage, they will never wait for Abhijit to finish the job and they will release the information immediately."

"Yeah, but only if they know we are after it, and they won't, because this is not an agency thing. This is me all by myself. Their mole has no possible way of knowing that, so neither will they."

Rajiv knew that all the hard-drives used to hold sensitive information were embedded with a certain program that made trying to make copies cause the destruction of all data. So the chances were very good that there would be one hundred percent containment if he got his hands on the original hard-drive.

" Rajiv, do you really want to go there ?"

" I have to. Find me some information and do it fast. They probably do not even bother with much secrecy about where it is, since they have their mole as an advantage."

He was counting on the presumption of his opponent.

" I will call you when I have got something."

" That better be soon."

* * *

Abhijit walked into the room, draining a bottle of water in one go before throwing it into a corner. He took off his jacket and pulled a gun from his shoulder holster making a show of checking the clip and loading a bullet into the chamber with an audible metallic click. He cocked his head a little to the right, looking at the weapon, then allowed his eyes to travel further into the room to rest on the woman sitting in the centre, tied to a chair by her arms and legs.

She was in her thirties and had short brown hair accompanying brown eyes which were blown wide now with fear and anxiety, her breath was shallow and coming in fast puffs through her nose, nostrils flaring. Her eyes followed his every move, and he gave her a calm smile which he knew would make her heart sink into her boots.

" I hope you had time to think about what I said. We had such a nice chat the last time. It would be really sad if I had to kill you for not being compliant."

He had been working on her for an hour already which explained the bruises around her cheeks and eye sockets, and the blood that crusted the side of her mouth as well as the few gashes he had inflicted in strategic positions with a small knife. She had given up some very valuable information already but kept firm on the one topic he was really after. Approaching her, he stood behind her to loosen her gag. She gulped in some deep breaths, but her breathing hitched as his hands fell onto her shoulders.

" Give me a location. Where is he ? "

His hands tightened around her shoulders.

"I told you…"

"You were lying."

"No…" She exhaled a sob and shook her head frantically. "It's the truth."

He let her go and walked back around to stand in front of her pulling out his gun once more.

"It's not. I do not trust liars. But I will give you one more chance."

His voice was low and calm, his face pleasant, and that freaked the woman out far better then any screaming might have.

"You won't kill me. I am the only source you have."

He brought his gun up and pointed it at her, his face going blank.

" Do you really think I would have any objection to killing you just because you are a woman ? You are supporting underworld activity with full knowledge of it. You are nothing but a bug to me, and if you do not turn up some helpful information soon, I will consider this source dry from now on. I am not a gentleman in cases like this."

He put the gun to her right knee, and she tried to squirm away but there was nowhere to go.

"I am going to count to three, and then you will know that I am not bluffing. One."

The woman's jaw set tight with anticipation.

"Two."

He did not slow down his counting and did not blink as she looked him directly in the eyes.

"Three."

He pulled the trigger, and a bullet buried itself in the woman's knee with a loud report. Blood splattered against his trousers and the hand holding the gun, which he ignored. He had taken off the silencer. The psychological effects were greater if they heard the shot.

The woman jerked and cried out in pain, howling like a wounded animal but she did not fall unconscious.

_Good. _

As she stopped writhing in pain, and her cries receded into pained sobs while snot trickled down her nose, he leaned mercilessly with his free hand onto the wound. She screamed once more, but he ignored her.

"So let's go back on track. I want to know where he is. You cashed in a lot of money for him behind my back, without me knowing about it, only two days ago, and you brought it to him personally. Where is he ? "

She bared her teeth at him, a strange gurgling sound emitting from the back of her throat.

"I won't tell you anything. You do not know what commitment means, but I do. I am loyal."

He stood back up and cocked his face at her, faking a slightly dog-like thinking expression while pursing his lips.

" Really ? "

With that, he shot her other knee, this time without any warning.

This would not take long.


	8. Chapter 8

Rajiv paced the length of the room steadily, his long strides covering the ground faster than his patience could endure. His head raced at lightning speed but it was working with too little information to get anywhere and just zipped around in circles that went faster and faster, until it was back to the beginning, and all that existed was his frantic heartbeat. They were running out of time, and Rajiv was damn sure about that.

He was running into walls wherever he turned, and the two possible locations Esha had sent him to in the last five hours had not brought up anything but a tide of unbelievable frustration that burned through Rajiv as if acid had been poured down his throat. He scolded himself every few minutes for becoming so unbearably frantic over this whole situation.

It was not like Abhijit had not been in danger before. They both had. Rajiv had pulled Abhijit out of some tight spots in the few years of their missions, they had done together, and they had known each other, sometimes even literally. Abhijit getting hurt – well, actually any CID officer getting hurt – was business as usual, and Rajiv had trouble counting all the times that one of his colleagues and friends had caught a bullet or a knife. Some died, some did not. But that was when they were a team, working together.

Even on deep cover missions, there was a backup of some sort, or a partner to keep an eye on one's back.

_Someone to look out for them. _

Usually, he was the officers looking out for Abhijit, when he volunteered for one of the really stupid missions he seemed to make a habit of.

When Rajiv asked him 'why?'

Abhijit would say it was because he knew Rajiv's conscience would never let him die. But that was not the 'why' he had been after, and, if pressed, Abhijit would only say that if he did it, he could be sure it was done properly. Sometimes, Rajiv wondered, if Abhijit just figured that as the head strategist, it was his job to take up those profiles that were too dangerous to give to any other officer, even though the other officer turned out to be his senior. But that suggested that Abhijit would feel remorse if anyone died because of his strategies – although quite a few of the missions were planned out by Vivek personally, and he did feel a really deep compassion for the life of his officers, but he would go to any lengths to make sure his goal was reached. This would imply that Abhijit also cared more than Rajiv had ever seen in him. He wanted to believe it, but he was not sure.

Maybe Abhijit was just a god-damned adrenaline junkie with suicidal tendencies, and a vague notion of invulnerability. Rajiv, on the other hand, knew very well that Abhijit was vulnerable. He could still remember the other man's warm blood seeping over his hands when he had been shot several years ago on an undercover mission, and Rajiv had been the one who carried him out of the fire.

That very memory made his chest clench and his breathing go flat. Back then, he had been sure of losing Abhijit. But, it had not hurt as much as it did right now. Maybe they had not been as close then. No, that was not it. It hurt so much, because then, he had been at Abhijit's side and knew that he had to do whatever was needed to save him. It had worked. Now there was nothing he could do, and it made him want to kill someone, made him want to slam his fist against the concrete walls, until the pain of broken bones drained away the pain of helplessness.

Which led him back to his current situation of fruitless pacing and mulling everything over in his head. Question after question tormented his mind and none of them looked good.

How had Abhijit gotten away from that explosion in the farm house unharmed ?

Who had given them away ?

Why did not Abhijit listen to him ?

Why was a Mandatory Refusal protocol needed to be set up in the first place, despite not being approved by the head quarters ?

Why was Abhijit so damn set on finishing this job ?

How could there be a mole ?

Who was the mole ?

Was there more than one ?

Would Abhijit manage to find the mole ?

If he did, would they still kill him ?

How could Abhijit kill his own people without so much as blinking ?

All those questions plagued him, and all of them were futile, because no one would answer them for him.

But it all came down to two things.

A. Who was the mole ? B. Why did Abhijit have to be such a stubborn prick? Why was he trying to get himself killed?

Rajiv skidded to a halt, the soles of his shoes producing a squeaking sound on the polished floor, and dug for his phone. He decided that it was not Abhijit's place to decide if he would die today, if he, Rajiv, had any say in the matter. He dialled and waited, his jaw set in grim determination.

" Esha? Give me something. NOW !"

* * *

Abhijit wiped the knife on the side of his black jeans, not bothering with the blood that smeared into the dark material. It was not as if it would make a big difference any more. After firing several shots, with the gun actually touching the body, he was splattered quite unpleasantly already. The cutting had not helped either. Instead, his hands were practically dripping with thick red liquid that was cooling down fast. He went to wipe it off on the cloth of the jacket he had taken from his prisoner, before he had bound her to that chair. It was not like she would need it anymore. The matter had taken longer than he would have liked, and his schedule was running tight, but it had been worth it once she had cracked.

Whenever someone claimed they would never say a word, they would be the ones that would scream loudest, once a certain amount of unpleasantness ensued. For some, all that was needed was a blow to the face, others had to start losing fingers or eyes. Some masochists had to be approached differently, using a more psychological basis. But, thankfully the woman had not been a masochist because they took longer to break - as did the psychos and the clinically insane. For her, he had needed only the right balance of scary behaviour and physical pain. It had been enough to make Abhijit scowl. Unlike some of his colleagues, he did not particularly enjoy this part of the job. It was messy and annoying, and the participants were idiots, obviously, himself included. He could not say, he himself liked the Abhijit who was a proficient interrogator. Torture was in his job description, and he was good at it, but it was not his idea of a good time.

He had been called a cold-hearted, sadistic bastard more often than he cared to count in his missions, and that was fine with him. That way, people would not expect any false pretense from him. Tania had called him a sociopath on several occasions angrily, and even threatening him to change this particular side of him– earning a disapproving yet approving look from Rajiv whenever he was around and only a shrug from Abhijit – and he could not say, he disagreed. He could not say, he minded either. It was his way of doing things, his way of going through the motions, and he did it well. There were several people serving in their CID bureau, who definitely deserved the title of psychopath, and as long as he did not count himself as one of them, he was okay with it.

He looked at his still pretty blood-soiled hands as he sheathed the knife safely in his boot again and grabbed his own jacket covering up the still soaking wet spots on his chest. He did not have time to clean up the mess he had made, and if he did not get a move on fast, the fact, that he had not taken out the trash would be his smallest problem. As he walked down the stairs of the building, he zipped up his jacket and buried his stained hands in its pockets.

He knew where he had to go. It would be his final stop, hoping that his target had not relocated since. He pondered over the other things, he had learned and considered his options. Per protocol, there were no options. He was alone, and there was no one he could contact, or talk to or even send a message to. That's what the protocol said. But the way, this job was going, there was the distinct possibility that Abhijit would not see another sunrise, and that would mean that none of the information he had gathered, would be passed on.

He knew he should not consider any of his colleagues trustworthy right now, considering one of their own sold him, but he wanted to get this piece of information through to the others none the less. He would make contact. It was against protocol, but then according to popular belief, he was a sociopath after all, so screw protocol.

* * *

" Wait a second…"

Rajiv stayed silent on his end of the line as Esha seemed to busy herself in Systems. Rajiv heard her talking, her voice sounding faint and distant.

" God, Tania. Where were you, woman ? I was... what... no, no, Tania, yes, yes, just listen to me first, this is all the satellite information we have got for now; just go through it frame by frame, alright ? – Well, then do as you are ordered and get out of my way. I will goddamn do it myself !"

It took another two minutes before there was the rustling of Esha setting up her headset again. She had installed a more permanent safe line for them and was apparently using an alternative headset to avoid opening the wrong channels and passing info to the wrong people.

" God, Rajiv. Tania is okay. I was dead worried about her. She is in someplace safe, but she cannot tell her location by line. Its way too dangerous. And another thing i am telling you, is that she is crap on the computer. She should have been done an hour ago and if I really wanted her to find Abhijit I might consider killing her. I hate it when we are under pressure and have to put the officers on PC-duty."

She snarled a little more while Rajiv tried to keep his temper. He felt like the White Rabbit right now always glancing at his watch, checking how much time he had lost while a booming voice in his head screamed "TOO LATE ! "

"Esha!"

"Sorry. As I said, I think we do have a pretty good fix on Abhijit's target now, whoever it is and Operations is making sure to keep the area on heavy lock-down, Vivek sent out everyone he could afford to bring down Abhijit, Raj and Tania."

"Why not me ? I was not called in…"

" Of course not!" Esha seemed to be trying to hold back a snorting laugh. " Raj and Tania are okay. I know that you won't even spare a glance at them whenever he is present. The main thing is that putting you out there to hunt Abhijit would just be giving Abhijit an unwanted ally. Its not unknown that the two of you do kind of have that certain spark, although you always keep it in the professional, only kind of social interaction. But with your stubborn head, and those unequalled morals of yours, even Headquarters knows that you would refuse to kill him. He knows you would try to save him in pretty much any case. I think he wants you out of this as far as possible."

"Well, he can have his wish, because I am going to be somewhere else, getting back his god-forsaken hard-drive."

" No, you won't."

Rajiv felt like slapping Esha right there. He was not the violent kind – yes, kind of a surprise, considering his career choices – but more of the cuddly monster puppy when it came to his friends, to which Esha full heartedly belonged. But right now he wanted to smack her. Hard.

"Why not? Come on you must have SOMETHING! You are a genius… the mighty wizard on the keyboard! You must have some kind of hint."

"I never said I did not. I think I know where the hard-drive has been taken. But the thing is that, its on that premise, the very premise where Andy lives, his villa. So, if you want to go through with this, you will have to get in there without having Operations stop you, or the enemy kill you. And i think, Abhijit is also heading towards this villa, but for what, i do not know. It can be because of the hard drive or because of the mole."

" Mole ? Are you serious ? How did you know that the mole is there ?" Rajiv asked suspiciously, furthermore continuing, " Esha, do you know who it is ?"

" No. But i am sure the mole is there in that villa. First, because Abhijit is heading that way, and second, Vivek and his people is moving in that direction, and, that too, quite fast. You do not much time, Rajiv, if you want to go there."

Rajiv face palmed for a moment. Those were moments that felt like a bad secret agent-movie. Why did the bad guys always have to think they were Doctor Evil ? Why were they presumptuous enough to think that the best place to keep important merchandise was right in their pocket, and that one mole made them palm the whole agency, so they did not even have to bother hiding that pocket's whereabouts?

Not that he would complain about it anyway. He finally got the coordinates out of Esha and was off in a blaze. Had he been in a cartoon, there would have been a stretch of burning asphalt where he started off and clouds of smoke attached to his heels. They knew where Abhijit is heading, and that left no doubt that Abhijit knew as well by now. How well he knew that no heavy lock-down would keep that sneaky Abhijit out !

* * *

Abhijit sneaked around the corner and off the street into the brush between the pedestrian walk and the fence. Contrary to popular belief, sneaking was not a requirement for his job most of the time. People who sneaked around made themselves conspicuous, and the last thing one needed in his occupation was suspicion. The best cover for being a sneaky bastard - as Rajiv liked to call him - was to get noticed, maybe be a little clumsier than average, or a little louder or a little more drunk. That would make one seem like less of a threat, because honestly if one wanted to keep low profile, would one really draw attention to oneself on purpose ?

_Well, of course._

That's what drew the line between the professionals and the wannabes. Hiding out in plain sight was one of the arts of the spy game.

Not tonight, though.

Abhijit knew he could not be seen, because he was expected, and he knew that the possibility they did not know his face was approaching negative infinity. So, he found himself ducking through the brush and sneaking towards the fence, aware of the cameras that were scattered around it, but with a distance between them that made serious blind spots arise. Whoever had designed this, was hoping that the cameras would prove enough of a deterrent to save a few thousand bucks in electronics. Stupid asshole! Abhijit wanted to give him a friendly smack on the shoulder… a really hard one.

As a car passed by on the road only a few feet away, Abhijit crouched down low, feeling the strain in his still painfully sore ribs, as the muscles pulled on the bruised tissue. But he held position unmoving, until the headlights of the car had passed, and the road as well as the bordering properties were cast back into darkness. He had seen a surveillance team only a few hundred yards down and knew they had to be distracted, so he could get across the tall, wire fence unseen. He pulled out the prepaid phone he had gotten for times like these and dialled the next pizza-service.

He sat and waited, peeking through the branches and leaves, making sure he was hidden from the street as well as the gardens. He heard the small, motorized bike, before he could see it. The red scooter turned around the corner, and Abhijit was pleased to see that the delivery guy seemed to be a man– whose head was completely obscured by a helmet sporting the logo of the restaurant he worked for.

The guy passed him by and headed down the street towards the surveillance truck and the main gates of the huge mansion, unaware of what Abhijit had set up for him. He nearly felt sorry for the guy, but not quite.

As the scooter skidded to a halt at the gates, Abhijit watched two bulky looking men jump out of the surveillance truck and approach the man, their guns raised, shouting commands at the poor pizza deliverer. The man threw his arms in the air and dropped to the ground. On demand, he started to remove his helmet and from the way his hands were shaking he was pretty close to soiling his pants. Abhijit did not stand around to see the young man's pale and panicked face but used the commotion to step out of his hiding-space and take two fast steps towards the wire fence, pushing himself off the ground with all the strength his speedy approach had provided. His foot hit the fence about one and a half yards above ground, and he gripped the wire with both hands, hoisting himself up further, before his momentum was gone and flipped over the edge of the fence with two more strong kicks of his legs.

He dropped to the ground on the other side, landing in a crouching position. The fence was about eight feet high, and the drop shook his knees a little, and the mean sting in his bumped ribs made him bite his lower lip as he tried to silence a pained moan. He took a deep breath, holding his position for another second and looking around. No one yelled or approached his position. Hopefully, no one had noticed his little stunt. He eyed the security cameras swooping from right to left, trying to take in as much of the perimeter as possible while maintaining his position outside their field of view.

As the cameras started moving further away from the patch of grass straight ahead, Abhijit gritted his teeth, ignoring any lingering feeling of sore bones and muscle and dashed toward the center of the premises, treading as silently as he could without slowing down.

* * *

Rajiv parked at a safe distance and watched as a bright red scooter swirled down the street and past him at about double the pace the speed limit allowed and nearly lost its ability to hold the road when it slid around a nearby corner.

_Looks like someone is in quite a hurry, Rajiv thought._

He walked down the street, easily spotting the van parked to one side with the cable company logo covering up what was really inside. He jogged towards it and knocked at the back door once before stepping back. He knew there were cameras installed meant to notify the personnel inside of anyone approaching. After a moment, that seemed to drag into eternity between Rajiv's thumping heart and his reeling mind, the door was pushed open, and Esha looked at him a gun in her hand. As soon as she saw that it was indeed Rajiv, she waved him inside and sat back down in front of the strategic work station concealed in the small insides of the vehicle.

Rajiv slid through the door, closing it behind him. He was slightly surprised to see Tarun sitting in front of another computer, huddled close to Esha's station, headset on as he gave orders via Com-channels. Right now, he was telling Tania to cross to the north gate. Tarun saluted Rajiv who was relieved that Tarun took him to be just another officer who had been sent here to back them up. Tarun's leg was propped up on a small stool, his thickly bandaged thigh obvious even through his pants. There was a pretty fresh looking pack of pain killers lying next to him, and Rajiv once again wondered about the policies in his work place. Nowhere else would a wounded officer be sent out to do strategic work on the day after the injury.

He did not dwell on it though, because there were more pressing matters at hand than Tarun's work schedule. Rajiv liked Tarun, the guy tended to be loud and sometimes a little annoying, but he was funny and always found a way to raise everyone's mood. He was glad Abhijit had not killed the man and found himself wondering if it was more than just luck on Tarun's part. But as much as Rajiv liked the guy, he could not help feeling hugely annoyed by his presence right now, because it meant he could not talk freely to Esha, and he had some really important things to discuss with her. His mind was still processing the flood of things that he had witnessed since everything had gone to hell, and he was checking and back-checking what he knew about any of his colleagues, trying to pinpoint which one of them was the mole. Recently, he had shortened the list down to just a few people, and he did not want to believe that any of them could have done that to their team mates, especially to Abhijit. But he knew it had to be true, and that they had been betrayed - for what the reasons did not matter.

Esha gave him a long look before her glance flew to Tarun. Rajiv understood. '_I have a plan. Just play along.' _He nodded quietly.

"How is the situation ? Main kuch maadad kar sakta hoon?"

Rajiv had arrived in full gear. He had left the substation earlier that day thoroughly stocked for his little Blitzkrieg. He wore the standard issue, steel toe capped, black combat boots with black trousers, the shirt not perfectly concealing a heavy vest – which could even deflect the bullets of a rifle as long as they were not armour piercing – topped by a black jacket. There were no insignia showing a rank or - god-forbid - who they belonged to. In the beginning, Rajiv had thought they looked very clichéd with this all-black attire, but it really came in handy when you were planning to ambush a convoy in the middle of the night and was less suspicious looking than camouflage gear. A black ski mask was stowed in the pocket of his jacket, and he carried several semi-automatic guns in holsters around his ankle, shoulder and on his belt. He was ready to storm a plane full of terrorists if only he got the green light from Esha, but as much as Rajiv wanted to just waltz through the front door and act like some completely crazy knight in goddamn shining armour, he had no idea where to start looking for that forsaken hard drive, and even less idea of how to get in there without being struck down by friend and foe alike.

He needed Esha to squeeze him into the operation, get him in the position, he needed to be in, and then allow him enough time uncovered to do what he had to do.

" Everything is quiet at the moment, though I pity that Pizza guy.", Tarun said frowning a little, and Rajiv balled his fists. He needed to get in NOW.

He looked at Esha desperately and Esha raised an eyebrow at him before tapping down on a key of her station with a rather smug air about her. Rajiv saw a few of the camera feeds flickering for a moment, and he knew Tarun must have caught it as well, although Rajiv was almost sure that he was listening to the status reports of the teams around the perimeter by grunted monosyllabic words like "Check", "Proceed", "Hold" or "Report".

Tarun's head snapped to the monitors. "What's that? Kya ho raha hai ?"

Esha feigned innocence with more acting talent than Rajiv would have given her credit for.

"I am not sure. Rajiv, go check it out."

Damn, that woman did have some amazing spy-qualities to him. She handed Rajiv everything he needed to access their communication channels.

Rajiv nodded enthusiastically and kissed Esha mentally for her utter awesomeness. He left the van in a hurry and proceeded towards the fence with ground eating steps. He was back in the game.


	9. Chapter 9

Abhijit circled the main house, looking for a way to bypass security. He had managed to cover a lot of ground in the large garden undetected, but it had been slow progress as he had to stop every few yards to readjust his route in order to avoid detection. He had hoped, that, getting onto the grounds of the mansion unseen would trump his heavily armed colleagues. Leaving them out of the picture was his initial plan. But that seemed to get harder with every passing minute as Abhijit had discovered that he was by far not the first intruder.

Rajiv hated the fact that Abhijit nursed the heavy paranoia that came with this job. The older man used to roll his eyes when Abhijit had to size up a room and familiarize himself with all the exits and entryways before settling down in some corner – preferably with his back to a thick wall – even if they were just grabbing a cup of coffee on a day off. It might have been a good way to annoy Rajiv profoundly, but on the job that paranoia really came in handy. Tonight, it was probably the only thing that had stood between Abhijit and a bullet out of Atul's long automatic rifle.

Abhijit had spotted the tall man hidden in the brush obscuring the south west wall of the main building. He was crouched low and was hard to see if one did not know what to look for. Abhijit knew though, and he had seen the signs, and that too, just in time, to avoid giving himself away and being shot by the man.

Atul had a close eye on the house's back entrance and windows. The front of the building was covered by tight security, and Abhijit knew, that his only way inside, was through Atul's zone. Abhijit edged around the building keeping in the shadows of the rich growth of greenery, treading slowly, his feet a mere whisper on the soft grass. He had to take Atul out, before he could proceed any further, and he knew he had to do it by hand, because the vest, the dark haired man was wearing, made a safe kill with one of his silenced guns too risky a task.

It took him a few minutes of light, soundless breaths and ridiculously careful moves to get into the right position. Avoiding discovery by the security system and the CID officer at once was something, that made Abhijit wish he could gnash his teeth in frustration – but he was rather sure that would be heard, and, honestly, did not that just suck ?

Finally, he stood only an arm's length behind the officer, who was crouching between the house's outer wall and a huge leafy bush, with one shoulder leaning against the building, gun held in both hands resting on one knee. Someone, who had never held a weapon would be surprised even by the weight of a simple handgun. The assault rifles, officers were equipped with, for this kind of thing, weighed a lot more still and holding up the extra pounds of iron and lead over a longer period of time, was a strain even with training.

Those heavy rifles held quite a lot of firepower, but the biggest boom in the world could not make the reactions of a soldier any faster, when his arms had to hold several times the weight of a pistol. This was Abhijit's advantage. Atul might have the bigger bullets, but his gun was huge, heavy and turning around with it efficiently while stuck between concrete and branches was a near impossibility.

Abhijit closed the space between him and Atul, leaning down on him as his arms snaked around the man's body. His left clamped down over the guy's face muting any sounds of distress and cutting off his breathing rather effectively by covering his mouth and nose with an unyielding grip, while his right hand darted out to grab Atul's hand and bend the wrist at a rather unnatural angle, effectively pulling his finger away from the trigger. With a sickening and a snapping sound, he made sure, that it would not be able to get back on. Atul twisted beneath his hold, muffled sounds trapped in his throat, feet shuffling through the soft, damp ground, kicking away the gun in their frenzy.

Abhijit brought his right arm around Atul's neck and pressed down as the officer brought up his uninjured hand to try and pry Abhijit's arms away from his neck and mouth. His gloved fingers bluntly scratched across Abhijit's sleeve in futile attempts to break free. It was not long before Atul's eyes rolled back into his head, and he went limp in Abhijit's hold.

" I am really very sorry, Atul, at having to do this to you."

* * *

Crouching was one of those things Rajiv hated about his job. He knew he was a goddamn giant, and mostly, he enjoyed that to its fullest. Towering over people was fun. You saw a lot and did not get the smelly waft of passers by half as much as those poor dwarfs who hardly ever managed to find someone eye to eye, but who mostly faced normal people's armpits and honestly that would stink. Being tall was a great thing. Rajiv could carry around anyone and everything, without breaking a sweat, and he had annoyed Abhijit with his playful puppy ways quite a few times, when he had felt compelled to pick the other man up off the ground. Abhijit hated it. Terribly.

As huge as Rajiv was, he never had problems intimidating other people if he needed to. He was normally an easy going person with a big smile and a lot of patience. But, in his profession, it was necessary to hold your own at times, and having a few inches – sometimes even a foot or more - on practically every other person in the world, made it easy to stay out of most fist fights. Once someone was faced by a very pissed off Rajiv, reared up to his full height and squaring his well built shoulders, they usually did not feel the need to provoke him. Of course, this was one more reason to watch his back, because cowardice was a regular companion for fear. Dying in a fair fight or by a bullet to the back of his head would make no difference as far as he was concerned.

But the same height that gave him quite the advantage in a fight was a curse when he had to sneak through the over-sized gardens of some criminal's mansion. Hence, the crouching part. As mentioned, Rajiv hated crouching. It just did not come naturally to him with his big frame. After slithering across the lawn and towards the location, Esha had provided him with, Rajiv could feel his vertebrae crunching alarmingly against each other, while he tried to keep his discs from popping out. His back was as round as that of an angry cat, and he kept his head low to avoid the annoyingly frequent, but inefficiently scattered cameras. If he ever got to stand up straight again, his back would probably crack so loudly that the cameras would be unnecessary for finding him anyway.

Rajiv had checked out half the buildings of the side-complex Esha had highlighted as the most logical location of his prize. So far, he had found nothing, and his nerves were strained.

As he sneaked up to the next building, staying in the shadows of a huge oak tree, he had to bite his lip to keep from whooping with relief and excitement.

_This had to be it. _

He crept closer to the window that displayed the reason for his joy. It was located at earth level, the window pane only a small sliver of light on the dark grass of the garden. The room beyond the glass was a basement, with at least two thirds of the rooms height located below the surface of the garden. It was illuminated by a few scarce desk lamps, but most of the light appeared to emit from several big plasma screens filled with an array of numbers and letters that displayed a language, Rajiv knew he probably would never learn although Esha was a native speaker. It was hacker's Latin, and to Rajiv, Latin was a dead language. He knew how to use programs and computer-protocols just fine, but he would not dream of actually ever writing one.

This had to be it. He lowered himself to the ground, careful not to make any of his moves visible to the people inside and keeping out of the light that fell on the grass in front of him. He peered inside, and a wide grin spread over his face.

_Yes, there it was. _

Rajiv knew exactly what the hardware that he was trying to retrieve looked like. They were state of the art. Actually, Rajiv remembered Esha telling him with sparkling eyes that the components they used were about an average nine months ahead of everything one would ever even hear of. Besides, Rajiv had handled some of those hard-drives himself on occasion - when they needed to trade information with other agencies. Rajiv being an "official CID-agent" came in handy for the credibility of their asset.

Rajiv made haste in finding the entrance and picking the lock after disabling the alarm system. His steps were muffled, and he quickly thanked the interior designer for the thick, plushy carpet. He crept towards the door that obviously led to the basement rooms. He quickly found that it was not exactly a task for a spy as a sliver of light shone through a gap beneath the door, and muffled swearing could be heard through the thin wood. Looking through the window earlier, Rajiv had seen that the room was occupied by three people.

One was an elderly man with geekish glasses and receding hair hammering down on a keyboard with quite a vengeance. The second had been a girl, who looked like she belonged at a college party, rather than in some shady criminal's basement. She was also working on a computer. The last person was a guard, an automatic slung across his shoulder, sitting against the far wall, eying the door and window while the others worked. He obviously was not very good in his job.

Rajiv took a moment to listen to the conversation behind the door. To his satisfaction, they were obviously annoyed at not getting past the self-destruct program on the stolen hardware and dared not go any faster for fear of activating it.

_Good. _

The girl had a pretty foul mouth from what he could hear, and the older guy was just worried about not getting paid if they failed.

Money. Was not it always about money ?

Rajiv pulled out two of his guns and positioned himself at one side or the door, crouching to the level of the doorknob before twisting it and shoving the door open.

" Who's there ?"

That had to be the guard. In one swift move, Rajiv darted from one side if the door to the other, staying low while shooting a rain of bullets into the room. He rolled smoothly back to his feet on the other side, mentally counting the number of bullets he had spent. The guard's answering shots during the attack had – as expected - torn through the air and the drywalls above Rajiv. The man had aimed for regular chest height, not realizing that Rajiv would come in low.

Rajiv knew he had hit the man, he was certain of it. If it was a lethal shot, he could not say though. He got to his feet fast, not giving them time to recover or call help and turned the corner, staying pressed to the door frame, keeping his back turned to the side, to minimize his body as a target. Gun first, he slid into the room and saw the guard motionless on the floor, blood oozing from several places where the bullets had torn into his body. The girl lay a few feet away, her wound no longer bleeding. Rajiv's concern lay with the person still on his feet. The older hacker did not feel like bargaining for his life but dove for the automatic that had fallen from the injured guard's hand. One more shot sounded, and Rajiv stood alone in the room with a handful of bodies.

_Why did people have to be so stupid? _

He retrieved the hard-drive and checked that he had got the real thing before switching on his communications system.

"This is Rajiv. I got the missing hard drive. Call off the dogs."

Tarun's stunned voice answered. "What the hell are you talking about, Rajiv?"

Rajiv did not even flinch when he lied.

"I checked out the anomalies you sent me. Stumbled across a couple of hackers trying to breach the self-destruct mechanism. I took my chance."

There was a long moment of silence, and Rajiv started to get impatient. He could draw them a map later. Now, he needed to hear the order to stop hunting for Abhijit. For all he knew it might already be too late.

" Containment ?"

Rajiv frowned. He was pretty sure that the voice he heard was that of Vivek himself. No wonder, the silence had taken forever, if they had called through to the boss himself.

"One hundred percent. They did not breach it yet, the hackers are dead, and I have the hard-drive."

He hoped Vivek bought it, and did not expect him to bring everything in for confirmation first.

"Destroy it. Activate the self destruction program and incinerate the site."

"Yes sir."

He wanted to ask about the manhunt for Abhijit, but he did not have to, because the channel went back to Tarun, who stared barking orders again.

"All teams hold. We have new orders. The stolen asset has been retrieved. Stand down. Abhijit is off limits. Let the man finish his job, what he wants."

Rajiv heaved a sigh.

Thank God. Now all he had to do was clear up this mess. He erased the hard drive and pulled a two compound explosive charge from a side pocket of his pants. This would make a nice display of fireworks.

* * *

The guards were dead, before they could fire a single shot. Abhijit dropped the empty gun keeping the second one level with his target and pulled out one of his spare pistols.

"You are a hard woman to find."

Abhijit clicked of the safety off newly retrieved semi-automatic, letting the metallic sound linger in the air.

The woman who stood across the room surrounded by the bodies of her bodyguards set her jaw, the muscles in her cheeks and temples working furiously. Her eyes were hard but nervous, darting left and right as she looked for a way out.

_There was none. _

Her hands were raised to her chest.

"You really don't want to kill me, Abhijit."

Abhijit raised a skeptical eyebrow and cocked his head to the side.

"Really ? Why not ? Give me one good reason as to why i should not kill you right here on this spot. You sold all of us, and put everyone in risk. I thought you were with us. And do you think just because you are Rajiv's friend, i won't kill you ? That's where you are wrong, Tania. And more over you have made this job really annoying."

"Yes, i know. But you are better than the people you work for, it seems. If you wanted to kill me, you would have done it by now. I have valuable information for you and your people."

Abhijit smiled at her, seeing a glint of fear in his opponent's eyes.

" Andy sure knows how to pick people. Do you think i never knew his real character ? He likes to play with people, and that's what you are too, a mere puppet, whose strings pulled by him. You know, Tania, the information you are talking about, its of no use. Each and every information of him, real and fake, i have a copy of it, stored in a place, of which no one knows the location, except me. No. I just wanted you to know what a pain you were, before I killed you. I know enough. Your little courier sang like a hummingbird by the time, I was done with her."

He saw the face of the woman fall in shock as her last bargaining chip was lost. "You do not know everything."

"I don't have to. I bet your mole, Liz knows enough. How did you make her switch sides, huh? Money? Values… no wait. She has no values."

Abhijit enjoyed the look of horror on the face that was staring at him.

"What are you…"

"Really, I have to tell you that you chose her well." Abhijit did not let her finish but just talked on. He would have her where he wanted her soon enough. "I mean I would never have suspected. You know, i could not help asking this, but does Andy knows about this ? How much you paid Liz to backstab him ?"

A shot suddenly ripped through the air, followed by two more within the matter of a second. Abhijit felt the bullets tear through his jacket followed by searing pain in his back, right between his shoulder blades, then across his spine, followed a stab over his left kidney. He fell to the floor with a cry of agony. His forehead slammed against the floor with a dull thud. But the pain that exploded in his skull was just a weak echo beside the torture in his back.

He did not know if he was unconscious for a moment but as his mind tried to work past the pain he heard footsteps close to his side.

"Goddamn it ! You could not have waited any LONGER, could you ?"

The man's voice was filled with anger rather than the uncertainty, it had held just a minute ago. Abhijit had a hard time to keep himself from moaning in pain, but he lay still, his face to the floor and waited. The steps stopped and there was the shuffle of clothes, as someone knelt down next to him and pulled the gun from his fingers. He let his hand fall to the floor limply keeping his breaths as shallow and slow, as he could manage so the person would not notice, he was still alive.

"Sorry, Tania. There were some complications. I think our cooperation is over."

The pop of Abhijit's semi-automatic was strangely quiet after the loud bangs of the assault rifle. The dull thud of a body hitting the floor indicated Abhijit's job being officially completed. It appeared that the man who he had wiped out of the way, to get inside, was the one who would wrap up his work.

" Atul." Another man's voice sounded from somewhere further away. Abhijit would have recognized it everywhere.

There was the shuffle of feet and the rustling of clothes followed by a warm touch on Abhijit's back.

"Abhijit."

The steps that approached him were fast and heavy, ending with the sound of knees hitting the floor hard. Another pair of hands touched his back, and Abhijit could not help but cry out in pain, finally opening his eyes once more to see Rajiv and Atul's face slide in and out of focus, as he turned his head sideways.

"Oh god, Abhijit."

Rajiv started to press his hands over the holes in Abhijit's jacket, making him groan in pain as he pushed against the painful injuries. Rajiv's face changed, a deep frown appearing as he looked at his clean hands. There was no blood. Abhijit chuckled and regretted it instantly, feeling his whole body hurt in response to the movement.

"Abhijit? Tumne kaise…?"

Abhijit tried to sit up and hissed in pain as both Rajiv and Atul pulled him upwards with a helping hand.

"I kind of stole Atul's extra strong vest. The rifle proof version." Abhijit said, lookin at Atul, who rolled his eyes upwards.

" Obviously, leaving me naked. And of course, sorry about shooting you. You know, i have to show Tania that i was with her." Atul said with a hesistant smile.

" No, its okay, Atul. I knew that, but it caught me by surprise, when i came to know that it was you, being her partner in crime. I suspected that there was someone from our side, with the mole, but never thought that it would be you." Abhijit said.

" There was no other choice at that time," Tarun said, furthermore adding, while looking towards Rajiv, " and i am sorry about Tania. I know that you two were good friends."

" There is nothing to be sorry about, Atul. Tumne wohi kiya jo tumhe karna chahiye tha. She sold us out. If you had not shot her, she would have done the same to Abhijit. I never thought that she was the mole all the time. It hurts a bit knowing about her that she was the one, but i will be okay." Rajiv said, with a sad tone in his voice, furthermore adding to Abhijit with a firm , " Idhar aao" and tugging close to him.

When Rajiv pulled his jacket off and opened the straps of the vest, Abhijit nearly fainted at all the movement over his bruises. He might not have been ripped to shreds by bullets, but, hell, that hurt !

He swayed slightly while sitting up, trying not to hyperventilate from the pain.

Abhijit looked at Rajiv, whose face was battling between fury and relief, with Atul hovering over them worriedly. And before anybody could say or do anything, Rajiv's fist collided with Abhijit's jaw and he almost fell backwards, had it been not Atul, who caught him.

" Rajiv ! Tumhara dimaag kharab hai kya ? Kya kar rahe ho ?" Atul exploded, holding Abhijit protectively, shielding him from Rajiv.

" That was for hitting me, for not trusting me and for scaring me half to death."

Rajiv's voice held no anger any more, and he was already pulling Abhijit back from Atul, who let him go with a suspicious gaze on Rajiv, ready to pull Abhijit back, should he try some crazy moves again.

Abhijit found himself leaning against Rajiv's shoulder with an arm around his back to keep him from falling back over.

"I am so glad you are okay. Does it hurt much?"

Abhijit wanted to slug him for asking that stupid question, but he could not find the energy.

* * *

Abhijit was walking slowly, very slowly, down the stairs, leading outside the villa. A snail could have won a race against him at the moment, but he could not make himself care. Rajiv and Atul, both hovered at his side with a hand only inches from his shoulder, watching his every move for the need to catch him, before he hit the floor.

Both Rajiv, and Atul opened their mouths to ask, but-

" Agar ek aur baar bhi poocha na ki main theek hoon ki nahi, toh acha nahi hoga. You two will regret it." Abhijit said, furthermore continuing, " I am warning you. Just because, i am a weakling now, does not mean i cannot slug you."

Both Rajiv and Atul looked at each other, smiling. A sarcastic Abhijit means a normal Abhijit. And it looks like, their Abhijit is coming back to normal.

The trio almost reached downstairs, when the sound of running feet reached their ears, prompting both, Rajiv and Atul, to cover Abhijit protectively, and it turned out to be Esha, who does not looked surprised to see them, though relief flooded her features, the instant she saw them.

" Thank god. You three are okay. But there's one problem. Raj has gone with Andy, and moving towards the airport. We have to stop them before they flees the country."

_What the hell ? Raj with Andy ?_

" Are you crazy ? Why would Raj go with Andy ?" Atul asked, with alarm evident in his voice.

" That's what we all would like to know. The others have gone in their direction. But i don't kno- "

" We are going too." Rajiv said, while Atul also nodded, catching Esha's eyes.

" Tum dono ?" Abhijit asked, looking at the two of them.

" Yes," Rajiv said, furthermore continuing, with a firm voice, on seeing Abhijit was about to protest, on seeing their affirmative nods, " but you are NOT going with us."

And before Abhijit could say or do anything more, Esha whisked him away in their van.

" You two better come in one piece. Or i-" Abhijit starts, but cut off by Esha, also warning them.

" Yeah, you heard him. Come in one piece. We have to celebrate." Esha said, waving them off.

For a few minutes, both Abhijit and Esha looked at the direction, where the trio went.

" They will be alright. They have to be. " said a voice behind them, which turned out to be Tarun, when both Abhijit and Esha, tuned to look back, who was now in the entrance door of the van, also with a worried look on his face.

_How very wrong he was._

_If only they had known, what was going to happen in a few minutes._

_If only...__  
_


	10. Chapter 10

Pune, Adler Corp.  
June 19, 2012

Adler Corp. was buzzing.

The core programmers were sat at a round table, congratulating themselves for getting one over on five of their rival companies, on the launching of a new project.

Four men, all of whom knew how exactly, how the other rival companies were screwed, and reveled in the fact, that it as Adler Corp. and not the rival companies, that had the monopoly now, on the new project.

One man, more than most, stood looking through the glass, in a closed office, on the top floor, with a satisfied weight in him, yet the element of melancholy surrounding him. His sadness had permeated the whole of Adler Corp. even though they did not know it.

People did not question the motivation behind the project, just celebrated the success.

One man who lost it all, never getting the chance to rectify the mistake, could not put his mind in the success.

How can anyone understand the truth, of which he has been denied the chance to put forward ?

" Enjoying the view or success ?"

All except one.

" Do you know what date is today ?" asked the said person, who for almost half an hour, has been looking through the glass , towards the city.

" Akshit."

The said person, Akshit, now looked towards the other person, with an expression of barely hidden sadness, on his face.

" Kate."

" You should be celebrating your success, but not like this, in a closed office room. Go outside, doosre ko dekho. All are asking about you. And here you are. Come on, let's go outside." Kate said, moving forward to tug Akshit.

" Please, Kate. I am not in the mood. Please just leave me alone. Please."

" What's wrong with you, Akshit ?" Kate exploded, with the element of anger evident in her voice, " It's has been 21 years since that incident. That mission ended 21 years ago. You understand me ? 21 years ago," furthermore continuing, " Why do you still keep beating yourself up upon this ? What do you expect ? Do you think that you can change that day by being sad after goddamned 21 years ? I don't understand you. You know, Akshit, I am tired of seeing you like this every month near that date. Every time that accursed date of the mission comes, you become like this. What's wrong with you, Akshit ?"

" You are not the one who killed Rajiv, and by the way, my name is not Akshi-" Akshit snarls, only to be get slapped by Kate hard, really hard, on his left cheek.

" I am going to pretend that you never said that sentence and so are you. You are definitely not the one who killed Rajiv, and you never will. It was an accident, that your shot meant to be for Andy, killed Rajiv. I thought, I told you that, several times." Kate said fiercely, continuing, " Is that what you think that you killed Rajiv deliberately ?"

" Everybody thinks that way."

" I don't care about others or what they think. I want to know what you think."

_Silence._

" Look at me, Raj." Kate said firmly, continuing when the said person, looked at her, " Raj, you never killed Rajiv, never. It was an accident. Do you think that Rajiv would have wanted this for you ? To beat yourself up wrongly ?"

"Nahi."

" Toh phir. Why this sad face ?"

" You believe me ?"

" I will always believe you. And in case, you have forgotten, even Atul believes you."

" Atul or Barun ? "

" I think, both, Atul and Tarun."

" Why did you change your name to Kate ?"

_Silence._

" You know why."

" Esha." Raj said, tasting the name on his lips, continuing, " You should have kept this name."

" So should you. Akshit does not suit you. Raj was okay."

" You are the one to talk. Look at you, CID officer turned Vice President to Adler Corp."

" Don't even start. Your case is also the same. CID officer turned CEO."

For a moment, there was only a comfortable silence, with neither of them wanting to break it. And just like that, the blanket of comfortable silence is broken by the mixed expression on Esha's face, prompting Raj to look at her questioningly.

" Something is bothering you. And you also seem happy." Raj asked, again asking with a mischievous smirk, " Don't tell me that your so-called friend, Rohan, looked at another girl ?"

That got him a direct slap to his face by a file.

" Hey, look where you are throwing those files."

" You do know, don't you, that Rohan is my good friend, not my _boy_friend." Esha said, putting stress on the word ' boy'.

" Alright,darling. My mistake. My bad. Won't happen again." Raj said, holding his ears, innocently, continuing, " So, what is the real news ? Care to give me ?"

" First, tell me that you won't freak out."

Raj could not help but raise his eyebrows. Now, what is the news that will freak him out ? Now, he is even more intrigued.

Let's see what the news is.

" Theek hai. Alright, let's see what the news is. That is, if you are going to tell me."

Esha put a file on his desk.

_What the hell ?_

" Yeh kya hai ? "Raj asked with surprise, continuing, " Tumne toh kaha tha ki tum mujhe kuch batane waale ho. Toh yeh file kyun ?"

" Tum bohot sawaal karte ho. Jaara file khol ke toh dekho, phir pata chalega."

Not knowing, what is inside of the file, Raj opened it and got the worst shock of his life. The photo, which greeted him was of-

" Abhijit. Yes, that's him. Surprising, isn't it, considering you never saw or heard of Abhijit all these years ago, since that mission." Esha said to Raj, who looked like he saw a ghost.

" Why now ?"

" There is one reason as to why I have never given this file to you, since you returned to India five days ago. I never got the chance, because others were always by at your side."

" Is there something, I should know about Abhij-" Raj asked, while never leaving his gaze, from the file, exploded suddenly, his eyes stuck on a particular page, " Security Consultant !? He is working as a security consultant in our company !? How come I never came to know about it ? Is thi-"

" That's what I want to tell you about. Exactly, the case is not like that."

" Then what ?"

" Raj, Abhijit is a Senior Inspector in CID, Mumbai. And he is suspected of killing another CID officer from Delhi, Vikram. News was that, Vikram was staying in his house for a case, and just like that, without any reason, Vikram was found dead in his house. CID, Delhi has suspected that Abhijit has done the deed, because at that time, no one was in the house, except them. But there was no proof of Abhijit killing Vikram. So, now the case is closed, until further notice. And because of that, Abhijit resigned from CID one month ago and came here, to Pune."

Raj felt his head reeling from all these unbelievable information.

Abhijit, a CID officer, and that too, a senior.

Vikram killed by him. That sounds too farfetched for him. That does not sound like the Abhijit he knew. Looks like the years have changed him. Granted, people change, but never like that, that one will kill their friends.

But that still does not explain, how Abhijit became a CID officer ?

As far as he knows, Abhijit has resigned from the Chennai, CID, after that very mission, and now, here, he was getting to hear from Esha that, he is a CID officer, and that too, a senior, and from Mumbai. When did this happen ?

" And why did not you tell me this earlier ?" Raj asked Esha with a hint of disbelief in his voice, continuing, " And after all these years, why now ?"

" Because, I think that, someone is after him."

_What the hell ? Someone is after Abhijit. That was never good news. But-_

" You want to know how I came to know Abhijit, being a CID officer ?" Esha asked knowingly.

" Yes, and say right from the beginning."

" The truth is I also did not knew that Abhijit is a CID officer. But there was a conference in Mumbai, the day after I returned to India. There I saw him in a hotel, with some people. And for a moment, I could not believe that it was Abhijit. I mean, who could have thought ? He changed so much, not like the Abhijit , we used to know, all those years ago. I asked a reporter, and she told me that it was the Senior Inspector from Mumbai CID. You know, I have thought of calling him there, but he seemed to be on a case, so I left him. And then, there was no news of him, but every time, I go to Mumbai for some conference and all, I always hear that it was Abhijit this and it was Abhijit that. And then, in Pune I ran into him. Actually, it was just like any other day. I was just returning from attending a meeting, when I ran into Abhijit onto the sixth floor. He was also returning from a meeting, when we met. At first, I could not believe that it was our Abhijit and the same Abhijit, that I saw in that hotel, that day ago. He looked much different And it was almost a shock when I noticed him properly. And the thing is that," Esha stops, hesitating, then again continuing, " that he did not recognized me."

" What ? C'mon, Esha. You have not changed much after all these years that you are not unrecognizable. Even I could recognize you. Why, even Atul could recognize you that day, when you turned up in his place."

" Raj, it's not like that. I wish it was that easy."

That straightened Raj up, and he looked up at Esha, having a very bad feeling, and whatever excitement, he was feeling, after seeing Abhijit's photo after all these years, seems to be deflating at each passing moment, if anything was to be going by Esha's expression.

" What do you mean by that, Esha ?"

" He did not recognize me because he does not remember me. And not only me, he does not remember anyone of us. In fact, he does not even remember Rajiv. And every single one of us, me, you, Atul, Tarun,Vivek, Tania, not a single one of them. It was almost as if we never existed. He does not remember any of his life at the Chennai CID. Nothing."

This is perhaps another shock, that he got, in these few minutes, ever since seeing and hearing of Abhijit, after all these years. Not recognizing is one thing, but not remembering totally falls in a different basket. What has happened to Abhijit, to make him forget all of them.

" How did…" Raj asks, unable to continue, and stopped, grief taking his features.

Esha squeezed his hand gently, continued softly, " Actually, it was due to an accident. After Abhijit left Chennai CID, he met with an accident during an unofficial case. As far as I know, the accident was so bad, that, he could not even remember his own mother. And the sad thing is that, she died with this fact, that her son never remembered her. What can be more sad for a mother, of her own child not recognizing her ? After the accident, Abhijit was officially taken in the Mumbai CID, as an Inspector, under the guide of Pradyuman sir. You remember Pradyuman sir, don't you ?"

How can he, Raj, forget Pradyuman sir ? That man was scary as hell. And god only knows, how Rajiv worked under him.

And coming to think of Rajiv…..

" You said that someone was after Abhijit ? Any idea who is it ? Was it someone we know, from that mission ?" Raj asked tensely.

" That's what I was going to tell you. It may be possible, because, we both know that Andy is still alive. It could be him or someone from his side. Because we all know, that, Abhijit still has the copy of those information, hidden somewhere, the location known only to him. That information was the only thing standing in our way at that time, in arresting Andy. Had it been in our hands, Andy would be behind bars."

" Esha," Raj asked suddenly, continuing, " You don't think that whoever is after Abhijit now, is because of that copy, they thinks he has."

Both Raj and Esha looked at each other, realization coming to their faces, in the face of their horror, at figuring this out.

" It's possible, Raj, you know. Whoever is after Abhijit does not know about his accident, that messed with his memory."

" And they thinks that Abhijit still has it, the location known to him."

" And Andy could to jail for a long time, if that information were to somehow get leaked to the media, because who knows, what is hidden in that information."

" This does not look too good." Both Raj and Esha said in unison.

" What are we going to do now ?" Esha asked alarmingly, continuing, " Asking Abhijit now, is of no use, because he does not remember anything of that mission. How are going to know where is that copy ? It could be hidden anywhere ."

" That's what the problem is." Raj says, stopping, continuing suddenly, alarming Esha, " Esha, you told me that Abhijit is working here as a security consultant. How did he came to know that there was a vacancy for that post in this company ? Someone must have told hi-"

Raj stops on noticing the alarming expression on Esha's face, nearly scaring him to death, when she exclaimed loudly.

" My god. They know where Abhijit is."

" What are talking about ? Who knows about Abhijit ?" Raj asked with alarm.

" Either Andy or his people. Now I remember, Ishan told me at a picnic party, that Abhijit was recommended to him, by his two friends, who, according to them, will be the perfect fit for that post. To be fit for the post of security consultant, one has to know about every codes and programs, in existence, to built the perfect security shield. And everyone knows, that such programs and codes are not known to normal people, and even, not the normal CID officers knows about it. Only those CID officers, who are designated to do high profile missions, are equipped with the knowledge of those codes. How did Ishan's friends knew that Abhijit was that type of a CID officer, along with those missions that were done in total secrecy, without the knowledge of normal people ?"

" You don't think, that they were Andy's people, do you ?"

" I think, it is. But there no way of knowing that, because they died in accidents or planned accidents. But now, I think, they were indeed Andy's people. Job done, so wiped them out of the way, before someone else finds them linked to Andy." Esha said, continuing, " Yes, Raj. There's no doubt that those two were just mere puppets of Andy. Remember what Abhijit said at that time that Andy likes to play with people ."

" If that's the case, then Abhijit is in grave danger."

" So, what are we going to do ? Any bright ideas coming to your mind."

" We have to keep an eye on Abhijit without rousing anyone's too much attention."

" But how are we going to do it without anyone knowing ? I mean, everyone is going to notice, when we are taking the security consultant with us everywhere."

" There has to be a way."

" I don't know, Raj. But I am very worried about Abhijit. We both know, Raj, that Andy never lets go of his assets that easily. And for Andy, Abhijit is a very valuable asset, and I am thinking, that, Andy is not going to let go of Abhijit that easily, without giving a fight. I am not seeing any way, of how can we protect him, without giving ourselves away to the enemy. And if Andy knows about Abhijit, them I am sure of it that he knows about Atul too. And knowing Andy, changing name is not going to stop him in getting Abhijit. Granted, you have changed your face, and taken on a different identity, but that's not going to fool Andy anymore. He is going to know our real identities one way or the other."

" I am not worried about Atul. He is under Witness Protection, and is completely safe. Its Abhijit I am worried about. If there's someone who wants anything then that someone is Andy, who can do anything to get the thing."

" So what are you going to do ?"

" Well, I have a proposal to make to Abhijit."

" Hope it is a good one that he cannot refuse."

" Oh, don't worry, Abhijit cannot refuse the proposal, and will never refuse, even if he wants to."

" Yeah. I am not much worried about your proposal. Knowing you, it will be a good one, but I cannot help but be worried for him. You know, we just have to protect him at all costs."

" Yes, even if it costs our life."


End file.
